


Invisible Things

by PeaceBlessingsPeyton



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Coming of Age, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Jellybean is older, Protective Jughead Jones, Smut, Soft Jughead Jones, teenage romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:48:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23271235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeaceBlessingsPeyton/pseuds/PeaceBlessingsPeyton
Summary: Betty Cooper was hopelessly in love with her best friend Jughead Jones.Up until the first night of summer, she is hopeful that he might love her too. It was in the way that he tugs her ponytail and smiles at her, the way that he held onto her just a little longer when they hugged, it was in the way he told her that he loved her laugh, and it was in the way that he was always, always looking out for her.So when the two of them have a moment and Jughead gives her the cold shoulder all Betty can think about is where she went wrong. Before she can figure it out though, the unthinkable happens and she disappears for the entire summer. When she gets back, her friends aren’t speaking and Jughead can barely look at her.Can she fix things between her and Jughead and mend their friendship? Or is all hope lost forever?
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 179
Kudos: 284
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Bad Dream

Betty Cooper sat on the edge of Sweetwater River, her arms wrapped protectively around her knees as she looked up at the sky. Yesterday had been the last day of her junior year making today the official first day of summer. Behind her, there were several bonfires, music and cheerful conversation as her peers celebrated their renewed freedom for the next ten weeks. She looked over her shoulder and sighed before turning her head back up to the night sky.

There was something wrong with her, this much she knew. Betty didn’t share the same excitement as the teenagers behind her. In fact, she dreaded summer vacation. She hated losing her routine, she hated not being able to work on the Blue & Gold, she hated not being able to see her friends or gossip with Kevin on the bleachers while they watched Archie at practice. What she hated the most, was the fact that she would be stuck home alone with her mother.

Just the thought of her mother made her chest tighten and her arms go weak. Betty squeezed her eyes shut as she rested her head on her knees, breathing deeply.

“Whatcha doing down here Nanc?” A voice rumbled behind her.

Lifting her head, Betty turned to see her best friend Jughead Jones walking towards her. She felt her body immediately relax, a smile growing in fondness at the use of his childhood nickname for her. Jughead had been her best friend since Kindergarten along with their two friends Archie Andrews and Kevin Keller. Like her, Jughead loved to read, so while Archie and Kevin would practice football in the yard when they were growing up Betty and Jughead would be reading old classics like “The Secret of the Old Mill” or “The Mystery at Lilac Inn”. Eventually, they’d start solving mysteries around town, like where Betty Mother put her car keys or where Mrs. Peabody’s cat disappeared to. Even though the days of childhood innocence were far behind them, they held onto the nicknames. Betty was “Nanc” short for Nancy Drew and Jughead was “Hardy Boy” named after the Hardy Boys novels.

“You know I’m an introvert at heart, Hardy Boy.”

“Hey now,” Jughead said, as he plopped down beside her. “That’s my line.”

She giggled, shoving him half-heartedly with her shoulder.

“Seriously though, Betts, why are you sitting down here by yourself?”

It was a loaded question, one she wasn’t ready to answer. “Looking at Cassiopeia.” She said simply, pointing to the sky.

“Cassio-who?”

“Cassiopeia,” Betty corrected. ”Don’t you pay attention in World History?”  
Jughead rolled his eyes. “You’re such a nerd.”

“Says the man who can name every single Quentin Tarantino film and recite at least one quote from each.”

“That’s different!” He protested.

“Is not,” she countered.

“Is too!”

Without warning, Jughead’s hands sprung up to her sides as he began to tickle her.

“Jughead Jones, don’t you dare!!!”

Squealing, Betty squirmed trying to get out of the reach of his mischievous hands. She wasn’t fast enough though and before she knew it, Jughead had her in full belly laughter, tears streaming down her cheeks as they turned a deep shade of pink. Mercifully after about thirty seconds, he stopped, releasing her.

“Ugh, Jughead you know I hate to be tickled!” She said as she straightened her clothes.

“I know, but I love the sound of your laugh.”

Betty looked up then, her green eyes meeting his blue ones and it was like the world around them started to slow on its axis. Even though Jughead had released her, it didn’t change the fact that they were much closer now, so close in fact, she could feel his gentle breath on her face.

Betty prided herself on being a loyal friend, someone people could trust. Whether it was to trust her to do a favor, run an errand or to keep a secret. She was good at keeping secrets, including her own.

And her biggest, best kept secret?

She was in love with her best friend.

In the best way, and the worst. In the way that made her heart race and her palms sweat any time he was close, in the way that made her crazy and clumsy. Tripping over her words while desperately wondering if he too, loved her as much as she loved him. It was the kind of love that kept her up at night, the kind of love she dreamed about when she finally fell asleep. The kind of love that made her feel beautiful, invincible, and brave.

Except for right now. Especially with the way he was looking at her. In his iridescent orbs, it looked like she was the one that rotated the universe, not the planets. Like she rose in his east and set in the west, not the sun. Like she was everything.

 _This is it._ She thought to herself. Leaning in, she closed her eyes, moving her face closer to his.

This was it. Where they’d bare their souls and seal them with a kiss, where their lips would lock and the fireworks would start exploding behind them and all their friends would cheer and celebrate because _finally._

Jughead cleared his throat, the heat from his body quickly leaving her as he moved away from her. “So Cassiopeia? What’s her deal anyway?”

Betty opened her eyes as she blinked back tears, disappointment crashing into her like boulders crashing into the tumultuous waves of an ocean.

He didn’t love her back. He didn’t love her back. He didn’t love her back.

_He doesn’t love you back._

“She uh, she was a vain and boastful queen in Greek Mythology.”

“Are you sure you aren’t describing your mother?” He asked, smirking at her.

Betty laughed, or at least she tried to.

“You know I’m here for you, right Betts? I’m only a call away.”

She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat but couldn’t. So instead she nodded before looking up at the stars again.

“There you two are!” Kevin called from behind them.

“Come on it’s time to toast senior year!” Archie said as he walked next to Kevin holding up a case of beer.

Standing, Betty self-consciously wiped the back of her shorts, hoping there were no dirt stains there.

“Isn’t this a little pre-emptive?” Jughead asked, taking a beer from Archie. “Shouldn’t we be doing this in August? Or over Labor day weekend?”

“I said the same thing, but he wouldn’t listen,” Kevin said, handing Betty a beer as well.

“Nope,” Archie said, giving his friends a lopsided smile. “We’re going to do it now.”

Three out of the four of them sighed. They all knew that once Archie got an idea in his head, there was no convincing him otherwise so they usually went along with whatever silly idea he had at the time.

Archie held his beer can in the center of their group. “To the best summer ever and an amazing Senior year.”

Kevin joined in first. “To summer,”

Then Jughead. “To summer,”

Finally, Betty looked up, all three of her best friends staring at her expectantly. How could she be excited for summer when her whole world felt like it was ending? How could she be excited for summer when the only person who could make her happy, didn’t feel the same way?

She felt like she was having a bad dream and all she wanted to do was wake up.

“C’mon Betts!” Archie said as he playfully bumped her with his arm.

“Yeah, Betts, c’mon,” Jughead said, catching her eye.

Holding Jughead’s gaze she said, “To summer,”

Archie and Kevin cheered, taking long pulls from their beers before chest bumping and yelling some more. Archie pulled Jughead in for a bear hug, but she just kept staring at him wondering how in the world she was going to survive the summer knowing he didn’t love her back.

_10 Weeks Later_

Betty checked her appearance one more time in the hallway mirror before grabbing her house keys and slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

“Bye Mom! I’m leaving for school!”

She didn’t wait for her mother’s response and closed the front behind her.

Running next door, she bounded up the Andrew’s driveway, taking the steps that led up to Archie’s front door two at a time. She was so excited to see her friends after ten long weeks.

“Archie? Kevin?” She called as she entered the foyer and closed the front door behind her.

“I think they’re still upstairs,” Mr. Andrews called from the kitchen.

“Thanks, Mr. Andrews!” she said, as she made her way upstairs to Archie’s bedroom.

Since the eighth grade, Betty, Kevin, Archie, and Jughead had a tradition. They’d meet up early on the first day of school and walk to Pop’s together to have breakfast. Betty couldn’t wait to smell the bacon as she entered Pop’s Chocolate Shoppe, or taste the burst of sweetness from the pancakes she was going to order.

As she got just outside Archie’s bedroom, she could hear Archie and Kevin arguing.

“You tell her!”

“No, you tell her!”

She pushed the door open. “Tell me what?”

“Betty,” Kevin said in a high pitched voice, “Hey,”

“Hi….”

Both boys stared at her saying nothing, this was definitely not the greeting she was expecting.

“Aren’t you guys happy to see me?”

“Yeah, where were you?” Archie asked.

Shit. “Camp,”

“Really? Your Mom said you went to some fancy internship in New York.” Kevin chimed in.

Double shit. “Camp. Internship. The details aren’t important. Are you guys ready to go? Where’s Jughead?”

“He’s not here,” Archie answered quietly.

“Okay, no biggie, I can tell him to meet us there,” she said, taking her cell phone out of her back jeans pocket.

“No, don’t!” Archie lunged forward to grab her phone from her hand.

She pulled her phone out of Archie’s reach and clutched it to her chest. “Why not?”

Kevin and Archie exchanged another look.

“We’re not talking to him,” Kevin admitted.

“Did you guys have a fight?”

“Well, it wasn’t really like a fight it was more like a-”

“We’re not getting into it,” Archie said, cutting Kevin off. “Trust us, Jughead’s not a good guy anymore.”

“What?” she asked exasperated. None of this was making sense to her. The four of them had been best friends since Kindergarten, they all had gone through some pretty tough circumstances growing up and had disagreements just the same but nothing had ever caused them not to speak to each other or pick sides.

“We should really be getting to Pop’s, you know before all the tables fill up,” Archie said, grabbing his gym bag and heading out his bedroom door.

Betty looked to Kevin who was staring at his feet with his hands in his pockets.

“Kevin, what happened while I was gone?”

He opened his mouth to speak. “Guys! Come on we’re going to be late.” Archie called up the stairs.

“Come on, we don’t want to be late for our first day of senior year,” Kevin said, giving her a small smile before grabbing his own backpack and leaving the room.

She watched him leave before blowing out a breath while smoothing back her ponytail. “What the hell is happening?”

Looking at her phone one more time, her thumb hovering over the screen. Her background was a picture of her, Kevin, Archie and Jughead at the spring formal. That had been such a great night for all of them and now months later the guys weren’t on speaking terms and Kevin and Archie weren’t speaking to Jughead and wouldn’t tell her why. Unlocking her screen, she started a text message to Jughead.

Jughead 🍔🍨🍟🍗  
  
**BC:** Hey, I swear I haven’t been ghosting you all summer…  
  
**BC:** The guys just told me you aren’t coming to Pop’s?  
  
**BC:** What’s going on??  
  
**JJ:** Don’t worry about it Betts   
  
**BC:** Okay… will I see you at school?  
  
**JJ:** Idk  
  


She waited for more of an explanation but when one didn’t come, she locked her phone and put it back in her back jeans pocket. Turning to leave, she wondered what universe she had woken up in this morning. Regardless, she was determined to figure out what happened between the guys so that she could fix it and things could go back to normal.


	2. Where's My Love?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I've been inspired to write and post consistently, so I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am if not more 😊 Thank you to those of you who have left kudos and comments! They inspire me to keep going 💕
> 
> This story is unbeta'd, I'm going off of several read overs and Grammarly suggestions so please forgive any errors :)
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by Where's My Love by SYML

As it turned out, Jughead wasn’t in school. 

Betty felt desperate as she looked around at every corner and every turn hoping to see his face. She was so devastated by the fact that he didn’t feel the same way about her ten weeks ago but now, she just wanted to see him. She had convinced herself that she could be in love with him and still be his best friend because the only thing worse than Jughead not loving her back was not having him in her life at all. 

Resisting the urge to text him again, she grabbed her lunch from her locker and headed outside to the picnic tables to meet Kevin and Archie for lunch. Once she was outside, she scanned the schoolyard taking in the familiar faces of her peers as she tried to grab on to some normalcy that she had been lacking over the summer. She was also looking to see if she could spot Jughead anywhere but once again she came up empty. 

Frustrated, she walked over to where Kevin and Archie were sitting and sat down with a huff. 

Archie raised his eyebrows at her. “What’s up with you?” 

“Did you two even notice that Jughead isn’t in school?” 

Kevin and Archie exchanged a look but said nothing which made her want to scream with annoyance at the top of her lungs. 

Scratch that she did scream at the top of her lungs. “What happened with Jughead?!” 

More silence. 

“You two might as well tell me! I’ll find out either way, Nancy Drew remember?” She asked, pointing at her face. 

Still more silence.

“Come on, whatever Jughead did or said he obviously didn’t mean it.” She said in his defense. 

“Just drop it, Betty, neither of us is going to tell you what happened.” Archie snapped at her. “Why would Kevin and I lie to you about something like this?” 

At this, Betty came up empty. She had nothing to say because, in truth, it wasn’t the fact that she thought Archie and Kevin were lying to her. It was what they were insinuating with their silence and that was what bothered her the most about the situation. That Jughead had done something so bad that it couldn’t be fixed, something so bad where the opportunity for an explanation and an apology weren’t even on the table.

_ Elizabeth Cooper, please report to the principal’s office. Elizabeth Cooper, please report to the principal’s office.  _

Betty sighed, no rest for the wicked apparently. 

“This conversation isn’t over,” she said before getting up. 

***

After her meeting with Principal Weatherbee about the Blue & Gold, she decided to take matters into her own hands and stopped at the office secretary’s desk. 

“Mrs. Jackson, how was your summer?” Betty asked, with the biggest and brightest faux smile on her face. 

“What do you want Miss Cooper?” Mrs. Jackson replied, sounding bored.

“My friend is absent from school today and asked me to get a copy of his schedule to bring to him. Is that something you could help me out with?” 

Mrs. Jackson sighed. “Sure, why not, it’s not like I have my own things to do.” 

“Great, his name is Forsythe? Forsythe Pendleton Jones the third.” 

“With a name like that it’s a wonder he didn’t come to school today.” 

Betty winced, she had a point, the first day was usually the worst for Jughead because everyone got reminded of the monstrosity on his birth certificate. 

“Turns out, I can’t help you out after all Miss Cooper.” 

“Why not?” 

Mrs. Jackson turned her screen so that Betty could see it. “Because that student doesn’t go to Riverdale High anymore.” 

***

Trying to get an answer out of Archie was definitely pointless. Kevin on the other hand, now that was a different story. From the moment she met him, Betty knew that Kevin couldn’t keep a secret no matter who’s secret it was. So she knew it was only a matter of time before she wheedled him down and got him to spill the deets. 

There were two ways to go about this, the sweet way and the not so sweet way. After some quick thought, she decided to start with the former and headed to the faculty lounge to use the teacher’s latte maker. After filling up Coach Clayton’s coffee and explaining she was making something for Principal Weatherbee, she made her signature mocha latte and then headed to Kevin’s locker to wait.

Checking her watch, she knew she wouldn’t have to wait long since there were only about five minutes left in the seventh period. For some reason, the school thought it would be a great idea to give the seniors a free period during the last period of the day. Once the school year was underway, she would hide in the Blue & Gold office to either work on the paper or her school work but for now, most of the seniors would either head home early or head to the student lounge. 

With the few minutes of downtime she looked at her phone and her heart sank again when there was no message from Jughead. She acknowledged how pathetic she was being, but in truth, she just missed him. Out of their group, she and Jughead clicked the easiest. He just  _ got  _ her, whether she was happy, sad or out of her mind with stress and anxiety he just understood her and if there was one thing that life had taught her, was that there was nothing more important than feeling understood by someone you loved. 

Over the ten weeks, she was gone, she hoped that he would be the easiest when it came to earning her friend’s forgiveness. At first, she didn’t think Jughead not going to Riverdale High and her disappearance over the summer wasn't connected, but now she wasn’t so sure. 

How could she explain what happened when she didn’t even have the words to explain it to herself? 

Just then, the bell rang, breaking her out of her thoughts as she focused on the task at hand. As the waves of students started to spill from their classrooms and into the hallway, she looked for Kevin trying to look as casual as possible leaning against his locker. As soon as he saw her he froze, rolling his eyes before continuing to his locker and opening it. 

“Hey Kev, I brought you a mocha latte,” 

“I’m not telling you what Jughead said,” 

“Ah-ha! So he said something,” 

Kevin groaned, hitting his head on his locker. “Dammit, Archie is going to murder me,” 

“It’s fine, I don’t need you to tell me what Jughead said,” she said, handing him the mocha latte. 

Kevin looked confused. “You don’t?” 

“Nope. I just need you to come with me to the Southside so that I can ask him myself.” 

***

“Are you crazy?” Kevin sputtered. “I’m not going into the Whyte Wyrm with you, no way!!” 

Betty and Kevin were standing on the sidewalk across the street from the notorious Serpent bar. Although she had never been in the bar before, she had a hunch that she would find Jughead inside. 

“I’ll go by myself,” she said, stepping off the curb. “Wait here,” 

“Betty wait,” Kevin grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “What if Jughead joined the gang?” 

Betty’s eyes widened. “Did he? Is that why you and Archie won’t speak to him?” 

“No, I have no idea, I’m just saying,” 

She let out a breath of relief. Jughead had a complicated relationship with the Serpents. His mother and father ran the gang, then his mom left and a few years after that his dad went to prison, leaving his older sister Jellybean in charge. Joining the Serpents was something they talked about relentlessly, especially after Jughead turned sixteen which was usually the age teenagers ran the gauntlet and joined the gang. 

“I know it’s Jughead’s legacy to join the Serpents but that’s not what he wanted. He planned to leave it to his sister and get out of town before his dad got out of prison.” 

Kevin shook his head. “That may be true but Betty, he is not the same. You weren’t here, you wouldn’t know,” 

_ Ouch. _ “I know that, but I’m here now and I want to hear his side of the story. Especially since you and Archie won’t tell me anything!” 

The sound of a door opening and laughter drew Betty’s attention back across the street. She saw Jughead and a few of the other teenage Serpents. For a moment, she felt her world slow and all the air left her lungs at the sight of him. He looked different. He was definitely taller than the last time she saw him, his shoulders were broader, and his hair looked longer. 

“Oh look, perfect, now we don’t even have to go inside.” She said as she came back to the present. 

“Betty, wait, no-” 

But she wasn’t listening. All she could think about was him wrapping her in his arms, his scent of coffee and pine soap filling her senses. 

“Juggie, hey!” 

Jughead froze, his whole body going rigid before turning to look at her. And he wasn’t happy see her. “Betty… what are you doing here?” 

She came to a screeching halt, Jughead’s coldness hitting her like a slap in the face. 

“You-” She clenched her fists as panic flowed through her- “You weren’t in school, I wanted to see you.” 

The Serpents standing behind him started to laugh. 

“Jughead, you didn’t tell us you had a northside hottie waiting on you.” The tallest one said. 

More laughter. 

Jughead crossed his arms, glaring at her. “She’s not my anything,” 

Betty felt her cheeks heat, but she refused to break eye contact with him. 

“Oh, I think she could be, if she let down that ponytail.” The only female Serpent said. 

“Well if she’s not yours,” the tallest one continued as he took a step forward. “I’m available,” 

Jughead’s arm shot out, stopping him. “Trust me, you’d be wasting your time, this Northside princess is a prude.” 

“ _ Ooooooooo, _ ”

Tears stung the back of her eyes, threatening to spill over. “Screw you, Jughead,” 

She didn’t bother waiting around for his comeback, she just spun on her heel and marched away from him. 

  
  


***

“Jughead is dead to me!” 

She was pacing back and forth across her bedroom with Kevin sitting on her bed as he flipped through her latest edition of Cosmopolitan magazine. 

“I tried to tell you,” 

“Prude princess? Who says that?” 

“Again, I tried to tell you,” Kevin said, tiredly.

“I mean, I’d expect that from Jellybean or one of those other Serpents but that was completely out of character for him, right?” 

“Right.” 

The Jughead she saw today wasn’t her best friend, he was some leather-clad asshole that she’d never look twice at. Hotness be damned. 

She stopped pacing, taking a step closer to the bed. “Kevin, will you please just tell me what happened?” 

Kevin sighed, not bothering to look up from the article he was reading. “Betty, we’ve been over this, I can’t tell you. I promise Archie I wouldn’t say anything.” 

“Since when can you keep a secret?” Betty asked, rolling her eyes. 

“Since now,” 

“Please, Kevin, I’m already so exhausted from all the drama. It’s all I can think about. I’ll do anything,” 

He looked up. “Anything?” 

“Name your price,” she said, crossing her fingers behind her back. 

“Fine,” He closed the magazine with a snap, before crossing his legs. “I want you to do my MLA citations on every paper I write this year,” 

“Fine-” she gritted her teeth, it would be annoying but at least she’d get the information she needed. 

“Oh, I’m not done,” he said, raising his eyebrows at her. 

Betty sighed. “What else?” 

“I want unlimited mocha lattes from the faculty lounge and I want you to cover for me every time I go to see Moose.” 

“That’s asking too much!” 

“Those are my terms and besides, I’m not the one that wants to know  _ top secret _ information,” he said, inspecting his nails. 

Dammit, he had her, and he knew it. 

“Fine. You have a deal.” She conceded. 

“Shake on it,” Kevin said, holding out his hand. 

Once they shook she said, “Okay now tell me,” 

At first, Betty was annoyed, her impatience flaring as she waited for Kevin to tell her the truth but that immediately began to fade when she looked at him. All the excitement and mischievousness was gone from his face, now he looked… sad. 

He swallowed. “After you left without telling us, we went to your house to talk to your Mom to figure out what happened to you. She wouldn’t tell us anything other than you went to an internship in the city. After, Archie and Jughead got into an argument about why you would keep something like that from us.” 

Betty couldn’t believe her ears. She had put so much thought into what it would be like when she finally got back to her friends and if they missed her that she never wondered what it was like for them when they discovered she was gone. 

“And then what?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“And then, Archie suggested that maybe you didn’t tell Jughead because he was always so controlling and judgy around you....” Kevin paused, pulling at an invisible piece of lint on his pants. “Jughead was so mad, he told Archie to ‘stop dreaming’ and that he’d never be good enough for you, never good enough for anyone and that any woman that was dumb enough to love him would leave him just like Archie’s mom did.” 

Betty gasped, covering her mouth. 

“They ended up getting in a fistfight and I ran inside to get Fred to help me break it up but it was already over by the time we got back out there. Archie stormed into his house and Jughead disappeared and that was it for the rest of the summer.” 

She got up and started to pace her room again. “Why would they be so stupid?” 

“Because they’re both in love with you,” Kevin said, shocking her. “One is always going to believe that they know you better than the other and what’s best for you.” 

Trapping her lower lip between her teeth, she nodded. “This is all my fault,” 

Walking to her bedroom window, she looked outside. Now that it was September, fall was in full swing in Riverdale. The air was crisper and all the leaves on the trees had turned crimson apricot and marigold. She loved this time of year, the annual fall festival, the homecoming dance, apple picking at the Blossom estate. 

She heard her bed creak behind her and then Kevin was right behind her putting a hand on her shoulder. “Betty this isn’t your fault.” 

Using the hand on her shoulder, Kevin gently turned her around to face him and pulled her in for a hug. She leaned into their embrace, hiding her face in his shoulders as a few tears fell freely down her face. 

Why was it that every time she tried to piece her life back together again, all it did was fall apart? 

Even though she blamed herself for their fight, both Archie and Jughead were equal parts to blame for the implosion of their group. She always had had her suspicions that Archie had feelings for her, but she thought they went away once they went to high school after Archie started dating other girls. He was, for all intents and purposes a ‘skirt chaser’ and so she assumed that the affection he showed her now was platonic and not romantic. 

Jughead on the other hand… she was so sure that he felt the same way about her until she tried to kiss him on the edge of Sweetwater River. 

The image of his cold stare returned to her mind, but this time she didn’t just feel hurt she felt angry. Angry for the things he said, angry for the way he looked at her and the way he let the other Serpents talk about her like she wasn’t standing right there in front of them.

Could anger and hatred make you fall out of love with someone? Or did you still love them despite those things? 

Betty’s heart ached just thinking about it. 

Later that night, even though she didn’t feel much like writing in her diary, there was one thing she wanted to get down. Opening to a fresh page she wrote:

_ Jughead Jones, I am completely and unequivocally head over heels in love with you. I feel so lost without you. Like you were my true north and now my compass is broken.  _

_ But right now, at this moment, and maybe forever…  _

_ I hate you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Betty 😕 she's got a lot going on right now. 
> 
> I love to hear from you! If you liked it and have time to leave a comment I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter 😊 I'm going to try to update this story once a week if not sooner 🤞 I don't let myself update until the next chapter is written. So, chapter 3 is written but I won't post it until chapter 4 is complete. Keeps me a little more accountable. Also, this story is inspired by and loosely based on season 1 of the show On My Block on Netflix. If you haven't seen it yet, I 10/10 recommend it. 
> 
> Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this update and I look forward to reading your comments. 
> 
> P&B, 
> 
> \--Peyton


	3. War of Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo 🎉 Three updates in a row? And on time? It may seem silly but this fic writer is celebrating!!! 
> 
> Shout out to those of you who have left comments and kudos, they mean more than you know 💕 
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd, so please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors 😊
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by War of Hearts by Ruelle

Jughead was used to people leaving him. His mom left when he was nine, his dad left when he was hauled off to prison and now that his dad was back he was honestly waiting for Jellybean to leave too. Part of him knew that people leaving was a part of life even if the other part of him felt broken by it. 

However, of all the people he expected to walk away from him, he never thought one of them would be Betty. Sure, he knew that she would return at the end of the summer but it’s the way that she left that was tearing him up the most. 

Without a word, or a text. Like what they meant to each other over the last eleven years meant absolutely nothing to her. Like she forgot she was the one who held him tight when she found him crying in Archie’s treehouse the day his mom left Riverdale with no plans to return. 

So yeah, it was safe to say he was pissed at her. 

Then there was the fact that she pretended like everything was normal when she got back. Expecting him to be at Pop’s without any explanation as to where the fuck she had been for the last ten weeks. 

He had so many questions for her. 

_Where did you go?_

_Was it because of me?_

_Did they not have cell phone service where you were?_

_Why didn’t you tell me you were back?_

_Can I kiss you?_

When she showed up at the Whyte Wyrm on Tuesday afternoon the war of emotions inside him had been so intense it all but knocked the air right out of him. He wanted to yell at her, he wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let her go, he wanted to tell her how much he loved her. 

But with his anger winning out, none of those things happened. Instead, he lit a match and set the bridge between them on fire and watched it begin to burn. He was good at pushing people away, an expert even, and pushing Betty away would be no different. 

Except, everything was different when it came to her. 

For ten weeks, seventy days, one thousand six hundred and eighty hours, one hundred thousand and eight hundred minutes all he could think about was how he should have kissed her on the edge of Sweetwater River. Instead, he choked and every moment since then, he wondered if _he_ was the reason she disappeared without a trace. 

He remembered the silence on her end and all the texts and voicemails he left begging her to talk to him. Alerting Archie and Kevin, who hadn’t even noticed Betty was gone, that she wasn’t answering him. His fight with Archie and the end of their lifelong friendship. 

_She thinks you're dangerous, you know that? You’re Southside scum and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be good enough for her._

He ground the heels of his hands into his eyes sockets and groaned. It was too much. _He_ was too much. 

“Easy there Jug, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Jellybean said, taking a seat at the table across from him. 

“I’m fine,” He picked up one of the boxes of cereal on the table and poured some into a bowl. Then he reached for the milk carton and unscrewed the lid.

“So, I heard Betty stopped by the Wyrm after school on Tuesday,” taking the cereal from him and pouring herself a bowl.

He stopped mid pour. “And?” 

JB shrugged. “Why didn’t you bring her in? You two in a fight or something?” 

“You could say that,” he grumbled, handing her the milk. 

A few moments passed as they both dug into their cereal, the sound of their crunching filling the otherwise silent kitchen. 

Then Jellybean asked, “Did you ask her yet?” 

“Ask her what?” 

JB tutted her tongue. “Don’t act stupid Jughead,” 

He sighed, rolling his eyes. JB was never one to put up with his evasive bullshit. “No, I didn’t ask her.” 

“Well, maybe you should,” 

“Or maybe I shouldn’t have to ask, maybe she should’ve just told me.” 

“Jay, you and Betty have been attached at the hip since the sandbox. You two share everything, even if it’s hard. Did you ever consider not why she didn’t tell you, but maybe that she couldn’t?” 

“Of course she could have,” 

JB rolled her eyes. “You really are dumb,” 

Before he could respond, their dad entered the trailer, wearing his uniform from working a shift at Pop’s Chocolate Shoppe. Both he and his sister paused, looking at him. Neither of them expected their father to get out of prison early. So when he showed up about two months ago unannounced, they were both at a loss of words. 

“Well, gotta jet,” JB said, getting up from her chair, brushing past FP and walking out the door. 

Jellybean definitely wasn’t happy about their dad's unannounced arrival and spent most of her time at her apartment above the bar. He couldn’t blame her, she had worked really hard to earn the Serpents' respect as their leader and it all seemed like a waste now that FP was home. He waltzed back in and just resumed the role of the head of the Serpents, didn’t even bother bringing it to a vote. 

His first order of business, not even twenty-four hours out of the slammer? For Jughead to run the gauntlet and go from just being affiliated with the gang to being a full on Serpent. It was a family business after all and Jughead was almost eighteen. 

He was just happy that he didn’t have to take care of Hot Dog anymore and that his bruises were healed. Dragging a hand over his face, he wondered what Betty would say when she found out that he was officially a Serpent now. There were so many nights that they stayed up late talking about whether or not he should join the gang, the pros and the cons and what hopes and dreams he had for himself outside of Riverdale. He waited for the night where she was just tired of talking about the same thing over and over again, but that night never came. It was one of the things he loved about her, the fact that she just listened. No judgment. No put downs. Just understanding. 

He doubted he’d ever find that in another person. 

Sometimes, he felt like his life was just a huge bad dream and that one day he’d wake up and have an entirely different life. One where his Mom hadn’t left, his dad wasn’t a deadbeat and his sister could pursue something in life that actually made her happy. 

He was smarter than that though and all he could do was not drag anyone else into his dark and depressing life. Archie and Kevin were easy since they weren’t even his friends anymore, he had no plans of getting close with any of his Serpent friends so that just left Betty. He hoped that earlier in the week would be enough for her to steer clear of him, but something, maybe the way his heartbeat stronger when he thought of her, told him that it wouldn’t be that simple. 

***

Betty was sitting at her desk writing in her journal. The past few days had been some of the loneliest of her life. After what Kevin told her, she was avoiding Archie including keeping her bedroom curtains drawn at all hours. There was a part of her that believed that she didn’t have the whole story, but she couldn’t get the whole story until she talked to Jughead. Who she was still mad at, so who knew when that was going to happen. 

There had been so many times she had started a text, or thought to call him or just walked over to Sunnyside Trailer Park. But she didn’t. As much as she wanted to see Jughead, as lost and crushed she felt without seeing and talking to him every day, she was still mad at him for how he treated her on the first day of school. 

Closing her journal, she unlocked her phone to see that Kevin had texted her. 

Kevin  
  
**KK:** Twilight tonight??  
  
**BC:** No thanks, I’m not feeling it  
  
**KK:** C’mon, it’ll be fun! They’re playing one of those old movies you love  
  
**BC:** Which one?  
  
**KK:** 🤔🤔🤔  
  
**KK:** Rebel with a Cause or something like that?

She sighed, that was one of her and Jughead’s favorite movies.

Kevin  
  
**BC:** Thanks, but no thanks. Sitting this one out.   
  
**KK:** Come on Betty, are you really going to let Archie and Jughead ruin your senior year?   
  
**KK:** You love the drive-in  
  
**KK:** Pleasssssssseeeeeee  
  
**BC:** Are you asking me to go because you need a cover to see Moose?  
  
**KK:** Maybe 🙊  
  
**BC:** KEVIN  
  
**BC:** 🤬🤬🤬  
  


Kevin  
  
**KK:** I promise I won’t ditch until the end of the movie  
  
**BC:** Liar  
  
**KK:** I’ll buy your popcorn 🍿  
  
**BC:** Correction  
  
**BC:** You’ll buy my SNACKS  
  
**KK:** Is that a yes?  
  
**BC:** Fine 😑  
  
**KK:** 😘  
  


***

No matter when or how long she was away from Riverdale, the Twilight drive-in would always remain timeless. It looked the same now as it did when she was little. The bright blue sign with white letters, welcomed her like a beacon as she and Kevin drove through the entrance, paying for their tickets before driving over to their usual spot. Kevin borrowed his dad’s truck so that they could turn the truck bed into a seating area. 

“So, why aren’t you talking to Archie?” Kevin asked as they were setting up blankets in the back. 

Betty sighed. “I can’t explain it, I feel like part of the story is missing.” 

“So you’re saying that you don’t think I told you the whole truth.” 

“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” she said, faltering, “But there was a section of time that you weren’t there.” 

“Still, don’t you think not speaking to Archie is a little unfair to him?” Kevin huffed. 

“He was the one keeping his mouth shut about the whole situation in the first place.” She said, glaring at him. “Besides, he knows that I know now and it’s not like he’s come running to explain his side. I just can’t walk around and pretend like everything is normal.” 

Kevin winced. “What about while watching a movie?” 

Betty’s eyes shot up. “You didn’t.” 

“Hey guys,” Archie’s voice called from behind her. 

She glared at Kevin before she turned around. Archie was carrying popcorn and a drink holder filled with sodas. “I got you a cherry cola,” he said, taking a step towards her. “Your favorite right?” 

“Right,” she answered softly. 

Turning back around to finish setting up the truck bed, she raised her head and looked across the drive-in back towards the projection booth. There, she could see a group of Serpents standing around and she quickly found Jughead’s beanie. Even watching him those few moments made her heartache and she sighed again wondering when they’d ever talk again. It was a war of hearts, she couldn’t help loving him even though she tried desperately not to. 

As if he could sense her eyes on him, Jughead turned around, scanning the crowd like he was looking for something. She walked around to the side of the truck so that he had a better chance of seeing her. 

_I’m right here Hardy Boy, come find me._

“Hello? Earth to Betty?” Archie said, dipping his head to try to catch her eye. 

She blinked a few times. “Sorry, what?” 

Archie gave her a look like she had three heads. “I said, hop up on the truck bed and I’ll hand the snacks to you,” 

Feeling an unexplainable pull, she couldn’t help but quickly look back in Jughead’s direction and this time, he was staring at her. Even though they were several yards between them, she could still see from the hard set of his jaw and his cold eyes that he was mad at her. 

_Oh, screw this._ Her annoyance with him flaring even more. 

“You know what, I think I need to use the restroom before the movie starts, I’ll be right back,”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Kevin asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Nope, I’m good.” She said, as normal as she possibly could. 

Walking away, she took in a deep breath, exhaling forcefully as she tried to get her shaking hands under control. She was so over Jughead’s petty behavior and she was prepared to tell him as much. If he was mad at her, he was going to have to have the balls to say it to her face and she really could care less if the Serpents were standing around as an audience this time.

***

Jughead felt that war in his heart again as he watched Betty get closer and closer. When he agreed to go to the drive-in with the other Serpents tonight, it never occurred to him that he would run into her.

He sighed, he was so exhausted with being angry with her. JB was right, they weren’t like this. _He_ wasn’t like this. Normally, when she did something that upset him(which rarely happened), they would just talk it out, she’d bake him some apology cookies and they’d move on. 

So why couldn’t he get over it this time? 

_Because she left you when she promised she wouldn’t._

Well, damn.

“Can we talk?” Her voice brought him back to the present.

His eyes scanned over her, taking in her defensive body language, her soft pink lips, and bright green eyes. No, they couldn’t talk, not here anyway. The conversation he knew the two of them needed to have was a private one. 

“I’m a little busy right now Betty,” he said, motioning to other Serpents around him. 

“How long are you going to keep this up?” she huffed. 

“Keep what up?” Over Betty’s shoulder, he saw Jellybean giving him a look. 

Betty sighed, grabbing his hand and dragged him away from the Serpents towards the projection booth. He didn’t put up a fight, only pulling his hand out of hers once they were inside, closing the door to the booth behind him. 

He looked around the old space, remembering all the time they used to spend here when they were kids. It was their secret spot when they wanted to be alone where no one would think to look for them. 

“What is your deal?!” 

He almost wanted to laugh at how she was always the one to just jump headfirst into everything, like ripping off a band-aid. 

“My deal? My deal?” He scoffed. “Are you serious right now Betty?”

“Look, I know you and Archie had a fight but-“

“Ohhhhh, of course, this is about Archie,” He said, laughing humorlessly, “I’m sure he ran to you as soon as you got back and told you everything.”

“That wasn’t-” 

“I can’t believe you would just take his side like this without even talking to me first,” 

Betty gaped. “Like you made it easy for me to talk to you!! I came to see you on the first day of school, but you decided to be an asshole!” 

“Kevin was with you!” 

“Don’t blame this on him,” she said, shaking her head, “All you cared about was looking cool in front of your Serpent friends, calling me a fucking prude! Who says that about their best friend?!” 

He swallowed, working his jaw as he wondered if he had ever heard Betty drop the f-word before. “You’re one to talk,” 

She crossed her arms glaring at him. “And what is that supposed to mean?” 

_She thinks you're dangerous, you know that?_

It was his turn to glare at her, stepping into her personal space so that she had to look up at him as he towered over her. “I get that you’re mad that I was an asshole to you the other day, but don’t stand here and pretend like you have nothing to be sorry for.” 

Betty’s lips parted, her brows furrowing as she searched his eyes. “Jug, I know I didn’t tell you when I was back, but-” 

“It’s more than that,” 

“Your fight with Archie?” 

He huffed out a laugh, stepping back from her. “Not everything is about Archie,” 

“I never said that it was,” she said quietly, looking at the floor. 

The look on her face, contorted in sadness cut him like a knife. The girl standing in front of him lit him up like a lightning bolt, and it didn’t matter that she said he was dangerous or the fact that she broke his heart over and over again, he’d still want her, he’d still love her forever. 

But there was still one thing that was bothering him, a question begging to be answered. 

_Deep breath, exhale._ “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving for the summer?” 

Her eyes shot up to his, wide with panic like she was about to be caught in a lie. She opened her mouth to speak, her shoulders almost raised to her ears as she wrung her hands in front of her but no words came out. 

His chest tightened as an overwhelming feeling came over him. When did their relationship get like this? Clenching and unclenching his fists, he felt like the room was caving in. 

“That’s what I thought,” he turned to leave. 

“Jughead, wait-” Betty pleaded, “please don’t leave, talk to me.” 

Resting his forehead on the door with a thud, he screwed his eyes shut as an inhuman sound reverberated through his chest. “How do you expect me to tell you what’s going on when you won’t even talk to me?” 

A minute passed and then another, the silence growing louder and louder as he waited for her to say something, anything at all. Finally, when it was clear to him that she wasn’t going to give him an answer, he slowly wrapped his hand around the doorknob, pulled the door open and left. 

***

Betty walked the entire way back from the drive-in and by the time she was back to her house, she felt disgusting. Her cheeks felt stiff where her tears left their salty tracks behind, her feet were sore, and she desperately needed a shower. 

She replayed her conversation with Jughead over and over again in her mind. He wasn’t just angry with her, he was hurt and after what he said, it was definitely about more than her leaving at the beginning of the summer. Especially after she wouldn’t give him an answer about exactly where she was. 

Entering her house as quietly as possible, relief flooded through her when she found all the lights off. Dropping her keys into the bowl by the door, she toed off her shoes and headed for the stairs. 

“Going somewhere Elizabeth?” 

Betty all but jumped right out of her skin. “Jesus Mom! Are you trying to kill me?” 

A lamp in the family room went on, illuminating the space around her in soft orange light. Hesitantly, she stepped further into the room. 

Her mother stood from the recliner she was sitting in and crossed her arms raising her perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Where have you been? You’re an hour past curfew.” 

“I had to walk home and my phone died so I couldn’t text you.” 

“Mm, you would think a summer with the sisters would’ve taught you something,” her mother said with a tut of her tongue. “Do I need to send you back there?” 

Betty’s heart rate quickened as she felt a thin layer of sweat break out on her skin. “N-no, no you don’t need to do that.” 

Her mother smiled and walked towards her, pausing right next to her. “Then make sure you don’t break curfew again,” 

She nodded. “I won't Mom, promise,” 

Her mother hummed in approval and continued towards the stairs. “Goodnight Elizabeth, make sure you shut the lights off before you come upstairs,” 

About an hour later, after a hot shower and putting on a fresh set of pajamas, Betty laid on top of her comforter in the pitch black darkness of her bedroom. She couldn’t get the tears to stop flowing down her cheeks as the sweet melancholy sound of her music played from her phone. 

No matter how hard she tried, sadness just kept crashing over her like a tidal wave and she couldn’t get her head above the water for air. If someone had told her a year ago that life was going to be this hard she wouldn’t have known what to tell them. She had been struggling then too but not like this. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sent up a silent prayer, begging the universe, or anyone who was listening to send her a sign that it was going to get better. 

Honestly, she didn’t know if she was going to make it if it didn’t. And soon. 

Sighing, she got up from her bed to put her phone on the charger and brush through her damp hair. 

_Tap-tap-tap_

She froze, racking her brain for where that sound just came from. 

_Tap-tap-tap_

There was movement in the corner of her eye, making her head whip in that direction squinting in the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a person at her window with a crown shaped hat on their head. 

Moving to her window, she opened it as quietly as she could. “Jughead?” she whispered in disbelief.

“Hey there, Juliet. Nurse off duty?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. I swear we're 95% through the angst now, fluffy times ahead 😁 I'm curious to know what you all think after this chapter, especially those of you who were upset with Jughead and his behavior. 
> 
> If you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you 💕 
> 
> P&B, 
> 
> -Peyton


	4. Make It Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! This chapter is going to start with Jughead leaving Betty in the projection booth so it's not picking up where chapter 3 left off just as a heads up. Shout out to those of you who have left comments and kudos, they mean more than you know 💕
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd, so please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors 😊
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by Make It Right by BTS ft. Lauv

When Jughead looked back on it, he knew if he had to pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with his best friend that he wouldn’t be able to. In fact, it was possible that he’d been in love with her his whole life. He could, however, pinpoint what he called “the shift” where he found pure enjoyment in things like bringing Betty coffee in the morning, the sound of her laughter or the little smirk she gave him when he tugged the end of her ponytail. Up until the beginning of the summer, he was sure that it was one sided until she leaned in to kiss him that fateful night on the edge of Sweetwater River. He had imagined the moment in great detail, thought about how soft her lips were, how soft her hair would feel when he thrust his fingers into her golden locks. What he hadn’t imagined was hesitating or the voice in his head telling him that he wasn’t good enough for her. What he hadn’t imagined was not kissing her at all. 

Walking back to where the Serpents were enjoying the movie, he used the back of his hand to wipe the tears off his face as he took a few deep steadying breaths. Why couldn’t Betty just talk to him? Their entire friendship all they did was talk, about everything and anything, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around why now was any different. He knew he was losing her and not for the first time over the last two months he felt his heart breaking. 

Pulling out his phone, he hit the side button to unlock his phone and check the time. There was a picture of him and Jellybean from the day he ran the gauntlet as his background. He smiled, remembering how his older sister had talked him through the whole process, how she was straight with him about how much it would hurt. She’d always looked out for him especially with both of their parents out of the picture. 

_ Did you ever consider not  _ why _ she didn’t tell you, but maybe that she  _ couldn’t _?  _

“Oh fuck,” He inhaled sharply, as his sister’s words from earlier that morning came crashing back to him like a tidal wave. 

“Jug, are you alright?” JB asked, “Where’d Betty go?” 

He turned around, looking back in the direction he came from.  _ Of course. _ The answer to the only question he wanted to be answered was so simple. It wasn’t that Betty didn’t want to tell him she was leaving, it was that she couldn’t and he was just too stupid to realize it. Dread filled his stomach as a few different scenarios raced through his mind. 

“Betty!” he called, running back towards the booth. 

“Jug, what’s going on?” Jellybean yelled, hot on his heels. 

He reached the projection booth again and yanked the door open, the hinges creaking loudly in protest. 

“Shit,” he said when he found it empty. He looked around frantically, trying to figure out if she was still at the drive-in. When he didn’t see her bright blonde ponytail, he took his phone out his pocket and dialed her number. 

_ Hi, you’ve reached Betty Cooper, leave a message.  _ Voicemail. 

“Hey, little brother, can you please tell me what is going on?” JB asked again, grabbing him by the shoulders. 

“I screwed up, I need to find Betty.” He responded before dragging a hand over his face. Dialing her number again, he groaned in frustration when all he got was her voicemail again. 

JB sighed. “You really are dumb,” 

“Ugh, would you stop saying that!” His patience with her snapping. 

“Jughead,” JB said softly, “just go to her. Stop trying to call her and go to her.” 

“How? I don’t know where she is,” 

“If I were her I’d be on my way home right now, not hanging around,” 

He considered this. It wasn’t lost on him that Betty had been avoiding Archie all week too or that she barely hung out with Kevin. He might not have been going to Riverdale High anymore but he still kept tabs on her. So it would make sense that she would go straight home instead of going back to Kevin and Archie. Especially if she was upset. 

“You’re probably right,” 

“Need a ride?” JB asked, holding her keys out in front of him. 

On his drive over, he considered how he was going to get Betty’s attention without alerting Alice. He thought throwing pebbles at her window was an okay enough idea but how would she get down to talk to him? As he thought of another option, he remembered that Mr. Andrews kept an extra ladder on the lawn back by his tool shed, he could use that to climb up to Betty’s window. 

Parking a block from her house, he used the walk down the street to think about what he was going to say to Betty. What he wanted to say,  _ what he had to say _ was so much more than an apology but he wasn’t quite sure how to put it into words. Although he was an avid writer, words that were to be said out loud never came easy to him. It was always easier to show people how he felt about them like ignoring them completely or in Betty’s case, giving them everything he had. 

***

With each step he took into her bedroom, Betty seemed to take one step in the opposite direction, keeping her distance from him. Grabbing a pillow off her bed, she went to her bedroom door, locked it, and then stuffed the pillow into the crack between the floor and the door. 

“Jughead, what are you doing here?” she hissed once she was done. 

“Do you think I’m dangerous?” 

Okay, not exactly where he wanted to start but the words had already tumbled out of his mouth. 

Her eyebrows rose and then furrowed together in disbelief. “What?” 

He took a step closer to her. “Do you think I’m dangerous?” His voice was low and gravely.

He expected a pause, one where it would be clear that she was thinking of what to say. How to soften to blow, how to make it seem okay that she said what she said. But that didn’t happen. 

“What?!” she whisper-screamed before shoving his shoulder. “Of course not! How could you possibly think I would think something like that!” He sagged in relief. “I get that you’re mad at me Jug, but how long are you going to keep this up? Because I care about you, but I won’t put up with-” 

It wasn’t really a decision he made to kiss her, it felt more natural than that, like breathing. He leaned forward, bringing his hands up to cup her face as he sealed his lips over hers. Her sharp intake of breath was so satisfying to his ears, sending a shiver straight down his spine that spread warmth all over his body. Pulling away slightly, he pressed his forehead to hers and exhaled. 

Her breath fanned over his face as her eyelids fluttered. “-any more of your shit…” 

He smirked. “Seriously?” 

“Yes, seriously,” Her voice was soft but her tone was serious. “What were you thinking? That you were going to show up here and kiss me and all would be forgotten?” 

“No, of course not,” He dropped his hands, shoving them in his jacket before turning away from her and taking a seat by the window. “We need to talk.” 

She sighed softly, crossing her room and taking a seat beside him. “Yeah, we do,” 

***

Betty’s mind was racing, leave it to Jughead to literally turn her life upside down and back again in the course of a single evening. Her heart beat hard in her chest, she didn’t know if she could tell him everything about what happened eleven weeks ago. When she woke up on Saturday morning with a plan to march over to the trailer park to tell him exactly how she felt about him but instead was taken away by men in white uniforms. 

He must have sensed her unease because he took her hands gently in his, pulling her closer to him. “Listen, Betts, I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell me everything right now… I’m here for you when you’re ready to tell me…” 

It wasn’t lost on her that every time Jughead stared into her eyes that he could see her soul. It used to disarm her, thinking that when he saw the real her that he’d go screaming for the hills, but now it made her heart stutter in its cage. He may not have said the words, but she could tell how sorry he was. Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips to his, letting herself briefly relish in the fact that them kissing was a thing now. 

He swallowed hard. “You have to know how hard it was for me to find you gone with no explanation… to go from talking every day to not knowing if you were safe, or if I was the reason that you left,” His voice broke at the end as he squeezed his eyes shut. 

“ _ No,” _ Her hands surged forward, cupping his face as she pressed her forehead against his. “No, no, no, it wasn’t you, how could you possibly think that?” 

His hands wrapped around her wrists, keeping her hands where they were as he took a few deep breaths. “I didn’t know what to think…” 

She felt her heart drop into her stomach. His question rang through her head. 

_ Do you think I’m dangerous?  _

It nearly broke her that that’s what he thought for god only knows how long when in reality he was the only person in the world that made her feel safe. 

She leaned back, looking him in the eye. “Jughead, did Archie tell you that I thought you were dangerous?” 

He nodded. 

She swallowed, forcing the lump that formed from the look on his face down her throat before she spoke. “I could  _ never  _ think that Jughead,” she whispered, her gaze unwavering. “You are the only person I have ever felt safe with,” 

“I missed you, Nance,” He said softly before wrapping his arms around her, pulling her in for a hug “I was so worried about you,” 

“I know, I’m sorry,” 

“I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you on the first day of school… what I said… it was uncalled for,” 

She sniffed, the relief of their fight finally being overrunning through her, making her emotional. “You were mad,” 

He shook his head. “Not an excuse,” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you as soon as I got back,” she said. 

He tightened his hold on her. “You were scared,” 

She laughed softly. “Not an excuse,”

They were both quiet for a moment, content with just holding each other and being reunited again. Betty breathed in Jughead’s familiar smell, letting it fill her nostrils as the familiar sense of calm it brought washed over him. 

“Listen, Jug,” She said, breaking the silence first and pulling away from him. “I want to tell you what happened this summer, where I went… I just…” 

“Betts it’s okay,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I know you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” 

“So what do we do now?” She asked. 

He sighed. “I don’t know, honestly, we can’t pretend like nothing happened but maybe we can just start over? Clean slate?” 

She nodded in agreement. “I can live with that… will you come back to Riverdale High?” 

“Yeah, I’ll talk to my Dad about it in the morning,” He looked at his phone noting the time. “Or later today,” 

“Okay,” she said, smiling at him. Her heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. 

He hesitated for a moment, licking his lips before he caged his lower lip between his teeth. She couldn’t help but stare. 

“Can I kiss you again?” 

“Okay,” she breathed. 

He leaned forward, pausing for a second. Before she could wonder what was holding him back, he smiled, shaking his head slightly and then kissed her. A kaleidoscope of butterflies exploded in her chest as she threaded her fingers through her hair pushing his beanie off of his head. Tentatively, she ran her tongue over his lower lip making him gasp. She took the opportunity to push her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. When she was little, the idea of french kissing someone seemed so gross to her, but now as she was kissing Jughead like this, it was far from it and she never wanted it to stop. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope? They're also referred to as a swarm, but that didn't sound as poetic 🦋
> 
> Okay, so, these two Bughead babies talked things out... sort of. They still have so much to talk about (and they will) but at least for now, they've broken the ice and Jughead apologized for being an a-hole. Jughead is now going to transition to a full-on soft boi and treat Betty like a queen and I'm here for it. I hope you are too. 
> 
> If you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you 💕
> 
> P&B,
> 
> -Peyton


	5. Waking Up Slow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to those of you who have left comments and kudos, they mean more than you know 💕
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd, so please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors 😊
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by Waking Up Slow by Gabrielle Aplin

Betty never really considered what dating Jughead would be like when she daydreamed about them being together, she imagined their first kiss, showing up to school holding hands and the whispers across the schoolyard as people figured out that they were _finally_ a couple. The butterflies in her chest fluttered around as she smiled at the fact that today the school part of her fantasy was about to become a reality.

She hadn’t talked to Kevin or Archie for the rest of the weekend other than assuring both of them that she got home fine after leaving the Twilight Drive-In Friday night. In her mind, all three boys screwed up in their own way. Jughead was a complete jerk to her, Archie refused to tell her anything, and then Kevin spilled the beans but not ones that were true. She didn’t one hundred percent know what Kevin said was true and what wasn’t, she could only go off the story he told her and Jughead’s side of the story. Which wasn’t a good one.

Since Friday night, the memory of the look on his face when he admitted to her that he thought he was the reason she left without saying anything still haunted her. She could only take solace in the fact that when she told him that wasn’t the case at all, that he believed her.

Gently, she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked herself over in the mirror. She was wearing a pink, gray and baby blue pleated skirt and a matching pink sweater. Her appearances were always something she nitpicked over and now that Jughead was her boyfriend-

 _Wait,_ was he her boyfriend? Suddenly, her excitement for going to school and fantasy popped like an overinflated balloon. Sure, they had shared a lot and they kissed, but neither one of them confessed any actual feelings…

Her phone pinged on her bed.

Jughead 🍔🍨🍟🍗  
  
**JJ:** Morning beautiful girl.  
  
**JJ:** Want a ride to school?   
  
**BC:** Sure 😊  
  
**JJ:** Meet me at the end of the block, make sure you tie your hair back   
  


Packing up her books, she resolved to ask Jughead about their relationship status when they got to school. She knew she wouldn’t be able to go the whole day not knowing whether not they were still just close friends or if they were more than that. Hoping it was the latter, she grabbed her hair tie off her nightstand, pulling it over her wrist before leaving her bedroom.

On her way down her driveway, Archie was walking down his own driveway to Kevin’s car out on the street.

“Hey,” he said when they met at the end, “Are you riding to school with us?”

“No thanks,” she answered, not giving any more explanation.

Archie stared at her for a long moment, scratching the back of his neck before sighing in defeat and finishing his path to Kevin’s car. She gave them a small wave before continuing on her way up the block. She knew that she was going to have to talk to Archie at some point but she didn’t want to talk to him if he wasn’t willing to be honest with her about what happened the night and he and Jughead got into their fight. She also wanted to know why Archie would tell Jughead that she said that she thought he was dangerous. Out of everything, that lie made the least amount of sense to her.

When she caught sight of Jughead at the end of her block, she felt her breath catch. He was leaning against his bike, arms crossed as he looked off in the distance like he was lost in thought about something. He wore his signature beanie, his sherpa jacket with his flannel tied around his waist, and his worn black combat boots. It hit her then how much he had grown over the summer and he looked downright sexy. The thought made her flush.

“There’s my girl,” Jughead said, pulling her in for a kiss as soon as she got within arm's length of him.

Her heart stuttered in her chest. _My girl. My girl. My girl._

“Morning,” she mumbled, feeling shy under his adoring gaze.

“You ready?”

She nodded, reaching behind her and sweeping her hair into a low ponytail. When she pulled on her helmet, Jughead gently pushed her hands out of the way so that he could buckle the chin strap and adjust it to fit her comfortably. Once she was all settled, she tightened her backpack straps and swung a leg over the seat, tucking her skirt so that she wouldn’t give her smalltown a free show on her way to school.

“Hold on tight,” he said, before bringing the motorcycle to life.

Anxiety rose in her chest, she had played it cool up until this point since she had never let Jughead drive her on his motorcycle before.

“Just go slow,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” he said, chuckling, “it's actually much more dangerous if we go slow,”

***

Ever before he got his motorcycle license, Jughead fantasized about what it would be like to take Betty for a ride on his bike. He couldn’t help the thrill he felt every time she squealed and pressed her face to his shoulder when he would speed up or take a sharp turn. It was probably a little dangerous, but despite her fear, he trusted her to move with him on the bike instead of fighting it.

They hadn’t stopped talking since Friday night, texting and FaceTiming each other constantly until this morning. He was excited to see her again and the smile that broke across her face when she first laid eyes on him that morning nearly knocked the wind out of him. He’d be lying if he said he still couldn’t believe that she was his. Pulling into the school parking lot, the memory of the two of them wrapped around each other on her bed and whispering to each other well into Saturday morning popped into his mind. It was almost like things had gone back to normal but they were better this time.

They both dismounted the bike, Betty being very careful since she was wearing a skirt.

“You look good today, Betts,” he said, pulling a little on the fabric of her skirt.

She blushed. “Thank you, you’re not so bad yourself Hardy Boy.”

He smiled, that had been the first time she used his childhood nickname since her return to Riverdale. Out of nowhere, Betty’s face turned into a frown and Jughead looked over his shoulder to see what she was looking at. At the top of the steps at the entrance to the school, he could see Archie and Kevin waiting for her. Or at least, he assumed that they were.

“Are you going to be okay?” He asked softly, feeling guilty that he was part of her distress.

“Mhm,” she gave him her helmet. “I’m not even sure I want to talk to either of them right now considering what Archie lied about,”

He nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. He wanted to say more but he knew that Betty could handle herself. “Well in that case, FP Jones and I have an appointment with principal Weatherbee,”

Before his dad left for his evening shift at Pop’s on Saturday, Jughead asked him if they could talk. His dad seemed awkward but eager that he’d requested time to talk with him. It almost made Jughead laugh how formal it felt since they were father and son but after a little bit of small talk, their awkwardness faded away. Jughead had been honest with his dad, about how the whole reason why he dropped out of Riverdale High was because he was mad at Betty but now that they worked things out, he wanted to go back and needed his help. His dad had been understanding and agreed to meet with him at school Monday morning.

“Hey Jug?” Betty asked, her voice soft.

“What’s up?”

She shifted back and forth on her feet like she was uncomfortable and wouldn’t meet his gaze. He looked back over his shoulder to see that Kevin and Archie were still watching them. Looking back at her, he worried his lip. Did she not want people to know that he was crazy about her? He could put on a brave face if she didn’t want to be seen with him or tell her friends but it didn’t mean that it wouldn’t sting a little.

Okay, maybe it would sting a lot.

“Hey,” he said, gently grabbing her arms to still her. “What is it?”

“What are we?”

Ahh so this was her dilemma, he felt himself deflate with relief it was almost comical. He supposed that he had been stupid, thinking that even though he hadn’t said it, that she knew that he belonged to her. So naturally, she wanted to know where they stood in their relationship. He took her hands, pinning them behind her back as he pulled her flush against him.

He placed a kiss right below her ear, making her shiver. “You, baby girl? You are _mine,_ ”

She giggled. “Is that so?”

He nodded, running his nose along hers before kissing the tip of it. “Yeah Betts, I like you, like really fucking like you,”

“I like you too,” She pulled her hands out of his grip and placed them on his chest.

“How much?” He teased.

“More than you like me I bet,”

He laughed. “I doubt that, but okay,”

Releasing her, he fixed her backpack on her shoulders before tipping her chin up with his pointer finger. “I’ll see you later?”

She nodded, smiling at him.

He smiled back at her, releasing her chin. “Go get ‘em, Nance,”

“Later Hardy Boy,” she said before turning to leave.

It was only after she walked away that he noticed his dad waiting for him by his truck across the parking lot. Jughead felt his ears go hot as he shouldered his own backpack and walked towards him.

“You’ve got it bad son,” FP said, chuckling while shaking his head.

“Yeah, yeah,”

“You tell her you're a Serpent yet?” FP asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Not yet,” Jughead answered, looking down at his boots.

His father hummed in disapproval. “Alright, well, one thing at a time right? Let’s get you back in school,”

***

Kevin had all but dragged her all the way to the senior common room with Archie following close behind. She knew that both of them had seen Jughead’s display of affection and they were going to have questions.

“Do you have something you want to share with the class Betty?” Kevin asked sarcastically.

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Nope,”

“Oh, really?” It was Kevin’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “So that flush on your skin has to do with the crisp autumn air on your walk to school this morning and nothing to do with a certain Serpent with his hands all over you?”

“He’s not a Serpent Kevin! Stop saying that,”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, Serpent by association. Now spill,”

Betty’s eyes shifted to Archie, who had remained uncharacteristically quiet and then back to Kevin. She took a deep breath, she was happy about the way things worked out with Jughead and she wasn’t going to let Kevin or Archie make her feel bad about it.

“Jughead and I… we’re together, he’s my boyfriend,”

There. She said it. It was out in the open. Archie shook his head in disapproval but still said nothing.

“You have no comment about this?” Kevin asked Archie.

“It doesn’t matter if he has a comment,” Betty snapped. “It’s my life and it’s my relationship with Jughead, not yours, so you two can just butt out of it.”

With that, she pushed past both of her friends and headed to homeroom not bothering to look back.

***

After the bell rang dismissing the students to their last period of the day, Betty headed to the Blue and Gold office hoping to get a head start on a few assignments. On her walk through the hallway, she was digging through her backpack looking for her cellphone so she could text Jughead when she ran straight into Archie.

There was an awkward pause between them as he rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet, his hands stuffed into his jean pockets.

“You know,” she began, “none of this would be happening if you had just been honest with me about what happened between you and Jughead.”

“Honest with you?” Archie tilted his head, glaring at her. “What’s there to be honest about? I haven’t told you anything.”

“Exactly my point,” Betty said, crossing her arms. “So, out with it. What happened?’

Archie shook his head. “I’m not having this conversation with you,”

Betty’s anger flared. “Why? Because you know you were in the wrong?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Betty,”

“Why did you tell Jughead that he wasn’t good enough for me? Why did you lie to him and tell him that I thought he was dangerous?”

“Because it’s the truth!” Archie snapped, raising his voice at her.

Before she could respond she felt a presence beside her and she knew it was by the scowl on Archie’s face.

“Everything okay?” Jughead asked as he placed his hand on the small of Betty’s back. She could feel the tension between the two boys.

“Fine,” Betty answered. “I’m fine, we’re fine.”

“Yeah Jug, she’s fine,” Archie said, a smirk on his face.

“Watch your tone Andrews,” Jughead said, his voice low.

“Or what?”

“Okay guys, stop it,” Betty said, lacing her fingers with Jugheads. “C’mon Jug, let’s go.”

“Better do what’s good for you Jones and do what she says,”

Jughead chuckled. “Trust me, she’s doing _you_ the favor,”

She rolled her eyes at the two of them, completely over their pissing contest but she wasn’t about to stand there and let them get into a fight over her. Pulling on Jughead’s hand again, she led him away from Archie and toward the Blue and Gold. Her conversation with Archie was nowhere near done, she couldn’t wrap her mind around why he was being so secretive about his side of the story but like every other in mystery in her life, she was determined to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we knew that Jughead and Archie were going to have a face off at some point right? Also, I know some of you may be confused about this, but Betty doesn't "officially" know that Jughead is in the Serpents. She just thinks he's affiliated but he IS going to tell her. It's a sensitive subject for him and he just got his girl back, so don't be too hard on him 😉
> 
> If you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you 💕
> 
> P&B,
> 
> -Peyton


	6. You Will Find Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Tags:  
> Mention of mental illness  
> Mention of anxiety and ADHD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to those of you who have left comments and kudos, and to those of you who have bookmarked and subscribed to this fic! It means more than you know 💕
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd, so please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors 😊
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by You Will Find Me by Alex & Sierra

Pulling Jughead into the Blue and Gold, Betty leaned against the door after she closed it behind them and took a deep breath. Although she was more annoyed than worried about Archie and Jughead, the tension between them still gave her a ton of anxiety. Jughead was standing a few feet in front of her looking out the window. From the look of his tense shoulders and the way his fists kept clenching and unclenching, she could tell he was still upset.

“Hey,” she said, grabbing his arms and turning him to face her. “Don’t let what Archie said get to you.”

He nodded but didn’t make eye contact with her. Gently, she brought her hand up to his cheek forcing him to look at her as she raised an eyebrow at him silently asking what was up.

“I just hate what he said to me… maybe I am controlling, maybe I am too protective of you…” he sighed, leaning into her touch. “You mean so much to me Betty but I don’t want to suffocate you or scare you off.”

“You won’t Jughead. I have never thought of you as controlling and to be honest, I like how protective you are of me.” She dropped her hand to the sides of his flannel shirt, pulling herself closer to him.

He swallowed. “Really?”

“Yes,” she said emphatically, “You make me feel safe Jug,”

He surged down to kiss her, his lips crashing into her for a demanding kiss. She held tighter to his shirt, the force of him pushing her off balance as he brought one hand up to cup her face and the other pushed into her hair. She secretly loved this side of him because she knew this part, the over protective, demanding part was him letting his guard down. ‘Vulnerable’ definitely was not in Jughead Jones's vocabulary.

He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips causing her to gasp as she allowed his tongue entrance. Deepening the kiss, he turned her around pushing her backwards until the backs of her thighs hit one of the desks. Jughead broke the kiss for a second, leaning down and lifting her on to it. She smiled at him before she grabbed his collar, yanking his mouth back down to hers.

His hands were currently grabbing fistfuls over her skirt as her hands carded through his hair.

“You can touch me,” she whispered, as he began trailing a hot wet trail across her jaw and down her throat.

“Here? In the Blue and Gold?” he chuckled, “Why Miss Cooper, I never would’ve guessed you had this side to you,”  
He placed his hands on her upper thighs, making a shudder run through her. A few more heated moments passed between them until Jughead pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers until their breathing slowed.

“You are going to be the death of me,” he said, smirking at her.

“Trust me, the feeling is mutual.”

He took a step back from her, straightening his clothes. “So I was thinking, I’d like to take you on a date on Friday,”

“A date?”

“Yeah,” He scratched the back of his neck. “We kinda jumped from being friends to being boyfriend and girlfriend and I don’t want to forget the dating part.”

She smiled. “Okay, yeah, that sounds great,”

“Does Friday night work for you? Will your Mom be okay with it?”

“She should be, I may have to use Kevin as a cover but that’s not a big deal,”

He hesitated. “Are you going to tell her about us?”

“Eventually, yeah,” He gave her a look. “You know how strict she can be, I just don’t want her to freak out and forbid me from seeing you,”

Or worse like send her away again.

“I get that, I didn’t mean to sound like I was rushing you. I told my dad about us over the weekend.”

“Really? What did he say?”

“About damn time boy,” he said, trying to imitate FP’s voice.

They both laughed.

“How have things been going since he got back? Has he asked you to join the Serpents yet?”

“Actually Betty-”

Just then the door opened behind them. Betty jumped off the desk quickly, fixing her skirt and making sure her hair was in place. “Hey Betty,” Kevin asked as he entered the office, “are you ready to talk about homecoming- oh I’m sorry, am I interrupting?”

“Hey Kev,” she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, “No, you weren’t interrupting,”

“Yeah, I was just leaving,” Jughead said, cutting in.

“Are you sure? You can stay.”

He shook his head, placing a soft kiss on the side of her forehead. “Text me when you’re ready to leave, I’ll give you a lift home.”

***

After asking Betty out on Monday, it was definitely a slow crawl to Friday night. Even though he still saw her every day and gave her a ride to and from school, he still felt giddy at the prospect of taking her out on a real date. Deep down, he knew Betty didn’t need romantic gestures because they weren’t things that she cared about, but she was special to him and therefore, he wanted to make her feel special.

  
Although he would’ve preferred to pick her up, he still had a few things to take care of for their date that evening. He even went as far as tossing his dignity out the window and asking Toni for help to set everything up. Not to mention, having a girl’s perspective certainly didn’t hurt.

Betty 💗   
  
**JJ:** Are you still okay with meeting me at Pop’s?   
  
**BC:** Of course 😘   
  
**BC:** Anything I should know for tonight?   
  
**JJ:** Such as?   
  
**JJ:** 🧐   
  
**BC:** Like what to wear…    
  
**JJ:** Dress warm   
  
**BC:** Do I get to know anything else?   
  
**JJ:** Not a chance 😈   
  


***

  
About an hour later, Jughead was standing outside Pop’s Chocolate Shoppe with Toni as he waited for Betty to arrive. Knowing his girlfriend, she probably assumed that they were going to eat at Pop’s but he had other plans in mind and already placed their favorite orders to go a few minutes before. He had also placed an order for Toni, part of his payment for taking up her Friday night in order to help him.

“You tell Betty you’re a Serpent yet?” Toni asked.

“God, you’re starting to sound like my dad,” he said, laughing lightly

“Well,” Toni drawled, “he’s not wrong. The longer you wait to tell her the worst it will be.”

Jughead sighed. “I know, I plan on telling her tonight.”

“I’ve never seen you scared,” Toni jabbed at him.

“I’m not scared,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“You’re such a liar Jones,” she said, shoving him in the shoulder.

“I don’t know… it’s like before this summer she was always supportive no matter which way I leaned towards. I just don’t know how she’ll react now that I already am a Serpent.”

“Well, if she loves you, it’ll be fine.”

“Thanks, Toni, and thanks for all your help tonight. I owe you one.” He said, pulling her in for a hug.

“Anytime, I’ll be sure to collect my favor one of these days.”

They both laughed. “I don’t doubt that,”

When they pulled apart, Toni looked past his shoulder and made a strange face causing him to turn around to see what she was looking at. He scanned the parking lot until he saw Betty standing a few feet away.

“Better go get your girl,” Toni commented.

Without a second thought, Jughead broke into a light jog until he reached her, a huge smile on his face. She looked absolutely stunning, wearing jeans, grey boots, and a dark grey peacoat. Her purple and pink scarf wrapped around her neck.

“Hey Betts,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. “You look beautiful,”

“Thanks. Who’s that?”

Jughead turned around to see Toni watching them. “Oh, that’s my friend Toni,”

Betty looked at Toni again and then back at him. “How do you know her?”

“She’s in the Serpents, we met over the summer,” he answered easily, not quite understanding her stiff body language.

“Oh,”

Then it hit him. “Oh my god Betty, are you jealous?”

“What?” She blushed instantly. “No, of course not,”

“You totally are,” he said, laughing, “My girlfriend is jealous.”

“I am not,” Betty whined.

“Hey, c’ mere,” he said, pulling her to him before wrapping his arms around her. “You are the only girl for me Elizabeth Cooper.”

She had to tilt her head all the way back to look him in the eye. “I know,” she grumbled.

“Yeah? You believe me or do you need me to go up on the roof and announce it to everyone?” He gestured to Pop’s behind them.

“No, no, that’s not necessary,” she said, blushing more.

“Are you sure?” He teased, before pressing his lips to hers again.

God, he was always sent straight to seventh heaven every time his lips were on her. It was like no matter what happened from the moment they agreed to be more than friends that he still couldn’t believe that he belonged to her. When he broke the kiss, she still kept her eyes closed for a long moment and smiled making his heartache with the intense amount of affection he felt for her.

“Can I introduce you to my friend?” He asked, emphasizing the word ‘friend’.

She nodded and he laced his fingers with hers as they walked back over to where Toni was standing.

“Toni, this is my girlfriend Betty,” he said, gesturing his hand to Betty. “Betty, this is my friend Toni.”

“What’s up blondie, nice to see you without your usual ponytail,” Toni said smirking.

“Thanks,” Betty said, furrowing her brow and touching her hair which was half up and half down.

“Well Jones, glad I could help.” Toni gave him a mock salute. “I’m going to get my free food and get out of here.”

“Thanks again Toni,” Jughead said before turning to Betty. “You ready for our date?”

A radiant, breathtaking smile broke across her face. “Lead the way,”

“Oh, we’re not eating here,”

“We’re not?” She asked, confused. “Then why’d you have me meet you here?”

“Well, we’re eating the food, we’re just not eating it here.”

“Okay…” she mused like she was waiting for him to say more.

“How do you feel about picnics?” His nervousness making his voice go quiet and unsure.

“I’d love them,”

***

Since it was supposed to be cold that night, Jughead borrowed his dad’s pickup truck for their date and Betty was secretly grateful. On the drive over, Betty had asked a lot of questions about where they were going and what they would be doing in between their conversation about their classes and school that past week. But he was determined as ever to keep as much of his plan for their evening a surprise up until the last minute.

Pulling up to the unmarked trailhead that led down to Sweetwater River, he grabbed their to-go containers and they walked down to the clearing that was by the edge of the river.

When they got to the end of the trail, Betty gasped.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

Betty couldn’t believe her eyes, Jughead had a small bonfire going and soft lantern lights were hanging from the tree branches just above their heads.

Setting down their food on one of the logs near the bonfire, he took her hand and led her down closer to the water. She remembered this area from the beginning of the summer where all of her peers hosted the end of year party.

“Why here?” she asked in wonder as they stopped just on the edge of the River, right where the grass bled into the sandy area of the river bank.

“I wanted to bring you back to this exact spot for our first date because this is the spot where our first kiss should’ve been.” He said softly. “I can’t tell you why I didn’t kiss you that night Betty but I can tell you that I spent the rest of the summer regretting it.”

“Jug it’s okay-”

“Please let me get this out Betts,” he begged, his voice strained.

“Okay,” she said softly before squeezing his hand and encouraging him to continue.

“I’m not good with my feelings or with words. Sure, I can write them but when it comes to saying things out loud or acting on something I feel, I fall short. That night when you looked like you wanted me to kiss you and I was going to, but then there was this voice in my head that told me that I wasn’t good for you. That even if you wanted to be mine, I wouldn’t stand a chance at keeping you because my life is already so fucked up and people are always leaving me.”

Her chest ached painfully. Including me.

Gently, he reached out, gently grabbing her arm and pulled her closer so he could cup her cheek with his free hand. “I brought you here tonight because no matter what happens, I don’t want you to ever doubt again how much you mean to me.”

She couldn’t help the tears that were falling down her face now. “I love you,”

Saying those three words was as effortless as breathing, she had felt them in her bones for as long as she could remember and now that she’d said them out loud, it was like she was setting something inside free. Pushing up on her tippy toes, she connected their lips, pulling him in for a drugging kiss that was demanding and all-consuming. She put everything she could into it.

_I’m sorry. I’m here now. I love you. Do you still love me?_

As much as her heart was filled with love and adoration for the boy wrapped around her right now, she couldn’t ignore the fact that she would forever be on the list of people who had left him. It was out of her control but he didn’t know that and she wanted him to know now more than anything.

She broke the kiss, wrapping her arms around his torso so he would hold her close.

“Wow,” he breathed, resting his chin on top of her head.

“Jughead, I need to tell you something,” she felt him stiffen under her arms. “About this summer.”

Keeping an arm tight around her lower back, he brought his other hand up to rub soothing circles on her shoulder. “Okay,”

“You don’t know this about me, but during our freshman year of high school, I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and ADHD. Up until last year, I knew anxiety was something I struggled with but I didn’t truly believe that I had ADHD but my Mom wouldn’t listen to me. My medication for my anxiety made me calmer and the Adderall gave me a sharp edge that only fueled the perfectionist in me. Which, in turn, helped my mother mold me into her vision of the perfect daughter. But there were downsides, like loss of appetite and never being able to sleep and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I knew if I was going to find out the truth, I needed to stop taking my medicine and figure it out for myself.” She paused for a moment, pressing her face into Jughead’s shoulder while she swallowed back her tears. “When I got home from the bonfire that night, my mother was waiting for me with two men in white uniforms. She had found out that I wasn’t taking my medication and accused me of selling drugs at school and told me that I was only moments away from a manic episode. I tried to run, but the men caught me and gave me a sedative to calm me down. The next thing I remember is waking up in a room at the Sister’s of Quiet Mercy and not being able to leave.”

“Fuck Betty,” Jughead said, letting her go and taking a step back. “I can’t believe your Mom would do something like that and just lied to all of us that you were away at some fancy summer program in New York City.”

“Anything to keep up the facade,” she said, shrugging.

“If I had known, I would’ve done everything in my power to get you back. You know that don’t you?”

“I know that Jug, but there’s nothing you could’ve done. I, I just-” Her lip trembled. “I just couldn’t deal with you thinking that you were the reason I disappeared or that I would willingly choose to leave you without saying anything.”

His face broke, pain and sadness etching into his normally smooth features. “I know that Betts,”

“Okay,” she said shakily.

“Geez Betts,” He pulled his sleeve up over his hand, using it to gently wipe her cheeks and under her eyes.

She laughed softly as he cleaned her up before placing chaste kisses all over her face.

When he was finished he asked, “Why didn’t you ever tell me about the anxiety?”

“Mental illness isn’t exactly high on a list of people’s strengths, I didn’t want anyone to think differently about me. Especially not you.”

“Hey now,” he tipped her chin up so she was looking straight at him. “Betty, I’m never going to think differently of you because there is nothing wrong with you. Do you understand?”

She nodded even though she didn’t one hundred percent believe him.

“Betty, any time you feel weak or not good enough because of your anxiety, I want you to tell me because I will spend the rest of my life reminding you that you are none of those things.”

_...the rest of my life…_

She felt her breath catch in her chest as she imagined the white dress, Jughead’s smile and _I, Elizabeth Cooper, take thee, Forsythe Pendleton Jones the third…_

This was what love was, wasn't it? Laying your world, your hopes, your dreams, the deepest darkest part of you, and everything else in between at someone else’s feet and them loving you in return. No stipulations, no unreachable expectations, no questions asked.

Just then, Jughead’s stomach gurgled making them both bark out in laughter.

“The burgers and fries are probably cold but you want to finish our picnic?” he asked, holding his hand out to her.

“Let’s,” she answered, taking his hand and leading him back up to the bonfire.

She was a mess, a lost beautifully broken mess, but in that moment she knew that from now on no matter how lost she felt, Jughead would be there to find her and bring her home.

Bring her home to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart is just so full your guys 😭 seriously, I love how this chapter turned out. I hope you do too. Also, just as a disclaimer, I do not know a whole lot about anxiety disorders outside of my own. So, if there was anything I said that was incorrect in this chapter, I sincerely apologize! 
> 
> If you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you 💕
> 
> P&B,
> 
> -Peyton


	7. Flaws

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to those of you who have left comments and kudos, and to those of you who have bookmarked and subscribed to this fic! It means more than you know 💕
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd, so please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors 😊
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by Flaws by Yoste

It had been almost a week since Jughead took Betty on their first date. He had been so proud of her for sharing the truth with him because he knew it hadn’t been easy. Since then, it seemed easier for her to share how she was actually feeling, taking comfort in the fact that he was just there to listen instead of trying to “fix her” or solve all her problems. Things were going great between them.

Except for one small detail.

He still hadn’t told Betty that he was in the Serpents.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, in fact, he couldn’t wait to get it off his chest but he was waiting for the right moment to tell her. The only problem with that plan was that the amount of opportunities for the right moment to come along seemed to be dwindling. Now he was more nervous that she was going to find out from someone else instead of hearing it from him.

He sighed, draining his cup of coffee and setting it back down on the table harder than he wanted to. His dad looked up from where he was wiping down a table before slinging the rag he was using over his shoulder and heading for the coffee pot. Jughead had started hanging out at Pop’s during his dad’s shift at least twice a week. They didn’t talk much, he would just show up a few hours in and do work on his laptop until it was time for his dad to leave for the night.

He looked up subconsciously then to see if his dad was coming over to refill his coffee cup when he was met with the stony gaze of Alice Cooper.

“Mrs. Cooper,” Jughead said, surprise in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Jug Head,” She took the empty seat across from him.

“Is Betty here with you?” He asked, looking around her to see if his girlfriend was anywhere in the vicinity.

“No, I stopped in to get some coffee and saw you sitting here. I’d figured I’d come over and say hello.”

A cold sensation started to spread through his stomach at her tone, it was too casual and Alice Cooper didn’t do casual. “Oh, okay, that was... nice of you,”

“I’ve noticed you and my daughter have been spending a lot of time together lately,” she commented as she inspected her nails.

Jughead fought the urge to roll his eyes, at least she had no intention of wasting his time with small talk.

“We have…” He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering where she was going with all of this. “what about it?”

“I just think it’s interesting that’s all,” she said shrugging nonchalantly.

He felt his temper flare, maybe she was here to waste his time. “You find it interesting that your daughter is spending time with someone she’s known since Pre-K? Not sure I follow,”

“I know there’s something romantic going on between the two of you,”

He narrowed his eyes at her. Before Betty told him about being sent to The Sisters, he thought Alice just a high strung strict parent but now that he knew the truth about what was going on behind the scenes, he knew he had to be more careful.

“Betty has her whole life ahead of her,” she continued, “What’s going to happen when she gets into Columbia or NYU?”

“What do you mean ‘what’s going to happen?’,” he asked, leaning forward, “She’s going to make a choice about which school to go and we’ll celebrate.”

Alice raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Do you really think she’ll remember you when she’s there and you’re stuck here?”

He opened his mouth to protest but before he could his dad appeared at his side, placing a to go cup of coffee in front of Alice. “Who’s to say Jughead won’t be at Columbia or NYU _with_ Betty, Alice? My kid is just as smart as yours, I’m not sure why you’re assuming he’s going to be stuck here when we both know he’ll have his pick of what college he’ll go to.”

Jughead looked up at his father in awe, a feeling of pride and adoration spreading through his chest. His dad gave his shoulder a squeeze while winking at him.

“Oh you know what they say,” she said, “like father like son,”

FP laughed mirthlessly. “Alright, that’s enough for today Alice,”

She rose to her feet. “Did you know your son and my daughter are spending a lot of time together?”

Jughead froze, silently praying that his dad wouldn’t mention anything about him and Betty dating.

“Alice, they’ve been joined at the hip since the sandbox, I’m not sure why you’re acting like it’s some big secret that they spend all their time together.”

Jughead immediately relaxed.

After Alice left with a huff, he took his phone out and texted Betty to warn her that her mom had been by the diner.

Betty💗   
  
**JJ:** Hey, you’ll never guess who just paid my dad and I a visit at Pop’s    
  
**BC:** Who??   
  
**JJ:** Your Mom   
  
**JJ:** Omg no   
  
**JJ:** She seemed suspicious about all the time we’ve been spending together   
  
**BC:** What did you say?   
  
**JJ:** Nothing really   
  
**JJ:** I pointed out that we’ve always spent time together   
  
**JJ:** My dad said the same thing   
  
**JJ:** We actually made her sound pretty crazy   
  
**BC:** She’s unbelievable sometimes 🙄   
  


Betty💗   
  
**BC:** I bet she’s on her way home right now to interrogate me   
  
**JJ:** Will you be okay?   
  
**BC:** Yeah, I think I should just tell her   
  
**JJ:** Are you sure? You don’t have to tell her for me   
  
**BC:** She obviously knows so there’s no reason to keep it a secret anymore   
  
**BC:** But if I disappear...   
  
**JJ:** NOT FUNNY BETTS   
  
**BC:** Sorry   
  
**JJ:** I won’t let anything happen to you   
  
**BC:** I know that 😘   
  
**JJ:** I’ll call you later?   
  
**BC:** Sounds good 💕   
  


“Hey, dad? What did Mrs. Cooper mean when she said, ‘like father like son’”? Jughead asked when his dad returned to fill up his coffee cup.

His dad sighed, taking the seat that Betty’s Mom had just been sitting in. “I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age and unfortunately Alice witnessed a lot of those mistakes.”

His eyebrows raised. “Really?”

“Yeah, but she wasn’t always such a stick in the mud.” He said, making them both chuckle. “But listen, boy, I know Betty’s mom may not have gone about it the right way, but she did have a point.”  
“I don’t follow,”

“I just want to make sure that you’re being smart while you're spending all this extra time alone with your girlfriend,”

He stared at his dad for a long moment, where was he going with all of this? Then it hit him.

“Dad, no,” Jughead groaned, “oh god, please no,”

“Hey now, I never got the chance to have this conversation with you but we need to have it.”

“No, we don’t,” He felt his face start to burn.

“I’m not worried about whether or not you’re respectful to Betty or if you’re treating her right, this isn’t about that. When you’re a teenager, things can feel… _intense_ … and because things feel so intense, it causes you not to think things through.”

“You can just say it, you know,” Jughead quipped despite his embarrassment. “You’re telling me to use protection.”

It was his father’s turn to blush. “You and Betty both have such bright futures ahead of you, futures that you’ve worked hard for and raising a kid young isn’t easy.” Jughead nodded, remembering that his dad was in his early 20’s when his parents got pregnant with him. “Look, all I’m asking that if you do… do those things with Betty or any girl for that matter is that you’re careful. Don’t get caught up in the heat of the moment and make stupid decisions.”

“Okay,” he looked down at the coffee mug in his hands.

“Okay, what?” FP said

“I promise I’ll be careful and not make stupid decisions in the heat of the moment,” he repeated with a huff.

“Thank you and in return, I’ll keep pretending I don’t notice you sneaking out late at night.”

Jughead looked at his father with wide eyes making him bark out with laughter. FP got up, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “I love you, kid.”

“Love you too, Dad,” he said, swallowing hard. He couldn’t remember the last time his dad had said that to him.

Meaningful moments like this with his dad made his chest ache because he was always so hopeful that his dad would, “return to normal” at some point. But everytime he got his hopes up his dad either fell off the wagon or ended up back in prison and all he was left with was disappointment and a bunch of memories of the man he used to know. He sent up a silent prayer to the universe that things would continue going the way they were before he took a sip of coffee and got back to work.

***

After Betty heard from Jughead that her Mom had paid him a visit at the diner, she knew it wouldn’t be long before her mom got home and decided to wait for her in the living room. She took a seat on the loveseat that faced the entrance to her house, crossing and uncrossing her legs as her knee bounced nervously.

She knew it was time to tell her mother about her relationship with Jughead but she was scared that her mother would overreact and ship her back to the Sisters. It wasn’t that she was worried about going back there, it was the fact that it would uproot her life again and now that Betty was back in school she had more to lose this time if her mother made her disappear again. Things were going well at school, she was getting ready to submit her college applications and she had a boyfriend. The only part that wasn’t going well at the moment was her strained relationship with her mother.

Just then, she heard her mom’s car pull into the driveway. Betty stood, trapping her lower lip between her teeth as she heard a car door open and shut, the sound of heels clicking on the walkway, and a key in the door.

“Mom,” she said, as soon as her Mom got through the front door.

“Hello, Elizabeth,” Alice said elusively as she hung up her coat and set her purse on the hallway table.

“Where have you been?”

“I was at the office sweetheart,”

“Oh really?” Betty crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Because I heard you were at the diner harassing Jughead and his dad.”

Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Is that what he told you?”

“That’s not the point Mom if you thought Jughead and I were dating why didn’t you just ask me about it?”

“Are you dating?”

“Yes,” she answered without missing a beat. “Now answer my question.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why didn’t you ask?”

The two women stared at each other, clearly at a stalemate.

Her mother sighed. “I thought you were hiding it from me.”

“I wasn’t hiding it.” She replied carefully. “It’s still relatively new.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s good enough for you,”

Betty rolled her eyes. “Jughead is good enough for me Mom, he’s extremely supportive and cares about me.”

“I just don’t want you getting distracted from your studies or going off your medicine again.”

Betty felt her cheeks heat as her temper flared, why did absolutely everything have to come down to her performance at school?

“Well, I’m sure as soon as you have a shadow of a doubt you will ship me off to the Sisters again!”

Alice’s jaw dropped. “You needed to go to the Sister’s Betty, I know you-”

“No, Mom,” she snapped, cutting her off. “I needed _you_ , not to be shipped off to a convent full of CRAZY nuns! If you had just listened to me in the first place about how I felt then we wouldn’t be here in the first place. You _never_ listen to me.”

“Despite what you think Elizabeth, I know what’s best for you,”

“Controlling me and knowing what’s best for me are two different things! You just want me to be the perfect daughter for the life you envisioned and you could care less if I am happy or not.”

“That’s not true, Betty!”

“How can you say that?” She clenched her fists as she felt her body start to shake. “When every time I even step a centimeter outside of your expectations you threaten to send me to the Sister’s again to keep me in line? What are you going to do when I turn eighteen and you can’t have me committed against my will anymore? What are you going to do when I go off to college and I’m miles and miles away outside of your reach? What then?”

  
Alice opened her mouth like she was going to speak but then shut it again.

“I am going to keep dating Jughead, I am going to keep up with my studies and I am going to keep taking my medicine because those are all things that I want to do. If you have a difference in opinion, feel free to bring it up and talk to me about it but I’m done with living in fear of disappointing you.” With that, she left her mom in the living room and bounded upstairs.

When she got up to her room, she shut the door behind her and leaned on it as tears started to flow freely down her face. Although she was still proud of herself for sticking up to her mother, the tension from their conversation was finally taking over.

Quickly, she took out her phone.

Jughead 🍔🍨🍟🍗   
  
**BC:** Can I see you?   
  
**JJ:** Yeah, want me to come get you?   
  
**BC:** Yes please   
  
**JJ:** I’m on my way   
  


After letting her Mom know she was going out, Betty put on her coat and walked outside to wait for Jughead at the end of her driveway. She was still shaking from the adrenaline rush and kept taking slow, deep breaths as she counted down from ten.

“Betty?”

Turning around, she saw Archie walking towards her. Oy, now was definitely not the time for this, not to mention she knew Jughead would be there any moment.

“What do you want Archie?”

His brows knitted together. “I saw you standing out here and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine, I’m just waiting for Jughead,” She hoped if she was short with him that he would just leave her alone and go back into his house.

Instead, he asked, “What do you see in him?”

“For your information Archibald, I was in love with Jughead before I was sent away this summer.”

“Sent away? What do you mean sent away?”

 _Shit, shit, shit._ She hadn’t meant to say that.

Just then, Jughead’s motorcycle turned on her street as it rumbled towards them. Relief flooded through her, all she wanted was to press her face into his shoulder and breathe him in knowing his scent would soothe her already frayed nerves.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now,”

He took a step towards her. “You never want to talk anymore,”

“Yeah, and whose fault is that?” She snapped.

Jughead pulled up in front of them, turning off his bike before dismounting it and taking off his helmet. “Everything okay here Betts?”

Archie glared at him. “Why do you always assume that she isn’t okay around me? You’re the dangerous one!”

“Archie, stop it! Jughead isn’t dangerous!”

“How can you say that? He’s in a gang now Betty!”

“No, he’s not, he’s just affiliated! Just because his dad and sister are in the Serpents doesn’t automatically make him a Serpent too!”

Archie looked between Jughead and Betty with a confused looked on his face. “Oh my god, you haven’t told her yet have you?”

“Archie-” Jughead said through gritted teeth.

“Tell me what?” Betty asked, turning to look at him.

Her stomach swirled with anxiety when he didn’t answer her right away. What was he keeping from her? “Tell me what, Jughead?”

“That I-,” he paused like the words were getting stuck in his throat. “That I’m-”

“What Jughead is too much of a coward to say,” Archie said, cutting him off. “Is that he isn’t just affiliated with the Serpents anymore. He ran the gauntlet over the summer but hasn’t had the balls to tell you.”

She looked from Archie to Jughead. “Is that true?” she asked softly, stepping closer to him.

“Betty, please, can we just get out of here?” He pleaded. “I promise I'll explain everything just not when we have an audience.”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded in agreement and took another step towards Jughead’s bike. Although she felt confused and upset that he would keep something like this from her, she still wanted to give him the chance to explain.

He almost looked relieved until Archie said, “Are you serious right now? Wow, Betty, you’re definitely dumber than you let on.”

“Don’t you dare talk to her like that!” Jughead growled, lunging forward.

“Jughead, no!” Betty said, getting in his way and putting both hands on his chest. Luckily he stopped, but he still looked over her at Archie. “He’s not worth it, please, I just want to get out of here.”

“Looks like Betty’s saved your ass twice now Andrews, next time you might not be so lucky.”

“I’m counting on it,” Archie said, glaring at him.

“Jug, c’mon, _let’s go,_ ” Pushing Jughead towards his bike, she took the helmet that he offered her and mounted the bike behind him. She gave Archie one more look as the motorcycle roared to life below her and then they were off, zipping through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!   
> I'm so sorry this update is a week late! I know those of you who saw my post on Tumblr were understanding, but I still feel guilty for breaking my updating streak 💕 I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite all the angst! This fic is about to earn it's explicit tag in the next chapter 🔥 so stay tuned for that. Also, just as a heads up, I'm thinking about one or two more chapters for this fic. 
> 
> If you have time to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you 💕
> 
> P&B,
> 
> -Peyton


	8. Fall On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning:  
> SMUT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to those of you who have left comments and kudos, and to those of you who have bookmarked and subscribed to this fic! It means more than you know 💕
> 
> This fic is unbeta'd, so please forgive any grammatical/spelling errors 😊
> 
> Chapter Title inspired by "Fall On Me" by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera

Jughead felt the tension radiating between him and Betty as he drove his motorcycle over to the Whyte Wyrm. When Betty texted him to come get her, he sensed that something was wrong and that worry put him on edge on his ride over to her house. So when he saw Archie he hadn’t known what to think. 

_ Leave it to Archie fucking Andrews to just blurt it out like that. _ He thought gritting his teeth. 

_ Well, if you had just told her you wouldn’t be in this situation would you? _ His inner voice supplied. 

He took a deep breath and then exhaled, trying to ease the rising anxiety inside his chest.  _ You knew you would fuck this up eventually, how does a man that only feels like half himself love a girl like her the way she deserves?  _

Pulling into the parking lot of the Serpent bar, he drove past all the customer parking and stopped the bike at the back of the bar. They dismounted the bike, Jughead taking Betty’s helmet from her. 

__ He knew Betty was upset with him for not telling her that he was in the Serpents but he just couldn’t tell how much. He figured that her agreeing to go with him was a good sign. 

She looked from him to a set of metal stairs that led up to a stainless steel door. “What are we doing here?” 

“Jellybean set up an apartment here for me after my dad got back just in case. It’s above the bar.” 

“Oh,” 

“We don’t have to go up,” he said quickly, sensing her uneasy, “I can always take us to Pop’s, I just figured you’d want somewhere more private to talk.” 

She hesitated for a moment, rocking back and forth on her heels. “No, I want to go up with you.”   


He gave her a soft smile as he reached out for her hand. 

They ascended to the top of the staircase and he pulled a set of keys out of his pocket to unlock the steel door. He opened it, letting her step into the hallway before he pulled the door shut behind them and locking it. 

“This is JB’s apartment,” he said, pointing to the first door on the left. “The door all the way down on the right leads to the bar and this one-” he pointed to the second door on the right- “is mine.” 

After he opened the door, they both stepped inside. It was completely dark in the apartment and it was mostly quiet minus the muffled sound from the bar below. Jughead switched on a light nearby and locked the door, taking off his leather jacket and throwing his keys down on a nearby table. Even though he hadn’t spent a whole lot of time there, it still felt surreal having her in his space. He watched her for a moment while she took in her surroundings. So much had changed over the last two weeks between them and Jughead had to admit, it was a little overwhelming. He had gone to being so mad with her and heartbroken to wondering how he could ever survive the rest of his life without her. He knew they were young, that they had so much life ahead of them, so much yet to accomplish but he prayed to the higher powers above that they could do all those things side by side and in love.

If he didn’t fuck everything up in the process. 

“Uh, let me give you the tour,” Jughead said, clearing his throat. 

She smiled at him, taking off her jacket before toeing off her boots. “Okay,” 

“This is the kitchen, there’s not much food since I’m not here often but there’s bottled water in the fridge if you want it.” He walked over to a door on the right hand side of the kitchen. “Here’s the bathroom,” He switched the light on and off so she could see it. After, he pulled the bathroom door almost closed and then walked a few feet down to the only other door in the whole space. “And this is the bedroom,” He opened the door, walking in and switching on the lamp by the side of the bed. 

“I like it,” she said, seeming to mean it. “It was nice of your sister to set this up for you.” 

He shrugged. “She just wanted to make sure I had a chance to escape my dad if things got bad again.” 

“Have they?” she asked, concerned. 

“What? No, things are fine with my dad. Great, even.” 

“Okay, good,” 

There was another pause, the tension and awkwardness between them growing steadily. He couldn’t stand it. 

“Is what Archie said true?” She asked, “You’re officially in the Serpents now?” 

He swallowed, anxiety swirling in his stomach. “Yes,” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell you,” he answered honestly. “But things were so off between us. I was scared.” 

“Scared of what?” She asked, taking a step closer to him. 

He huffed a laugh. “I just got you back Betts, I’ve been scared that you wouldn’t want to be with me anymore if you found out I was in the Serpents.” 

She laughed softly, eyes cast to the floor as she shook her head. 

“Why are you laughing?” 

“You don’t get it yet do you?” she asked incredulously. 

He furrowed his brow. “No? Get what?” 

“Jughead Jones,” Closing the distance between them, she brought her hands up to cup his face. “I have loved you my entire life and whether you’re a Serpent or a circus clown, that isn’t going to change.” 

“You what?” He whispered in disbelief. 

Her face softened. “I love you,” 

Jughead knew that Betty loved him before she said those three words and it wasn’t in the way that most people would expect. It was in the invisible things that she did- the way she went out of her way to spend time with him after his mom left or in the way she stayed up all night talking to him about everything and nothing. It was in the way that she forgave him with ease while still not putting up with any of his shit, it was in the way her eyes seemed to glow with adoration when she told him that he could do anything he put his mind to. It was in the way she kissed him, like nothing else in the world existed. It was those invisible things that made him fall in love with her more easily than falling into a deep sleep over and over and over again for as long as he could remember. 

It still blew him away though, how hearing those eight letters, those three little words spoken into existence. Not being able to stand the breath of distance between them any longer, he crushed his lips to hers, wrapping one arm around her lower back while using his other hand to cup the back of her neck. She inhaled sharply at the contact, gripping his biceps for balance as he tilted her slightly backwards. They had had a few heated make out sessions over the last two weeks, but this was  _ different.  _ This was carnal passion that made his skin prickle like he was a man on fire and oh, how he loved the burn. He felt her hands travel down his neck and shoulders to the buttons on his flannel as she slowly began to undo them one at a time. Once she had them all unbuttoned, she pushed at the fabric at his shoulders. 

“Off,” she said between kisses, “I want this  _ off, _ ” 

He smirked, taking a small step back from her as he tugged his flannel shirt off and then grabbing his shirt collar he yanked his shirt right off with a single tug. Her eyes widened as they raked over the expanse of his bare skin. 

“Like what you see baby girl?” 

It wasn’t a pet name he used often but he loved the way she seemed to shiver every time he did. He reached out, lightly pinching the hem of her sweater between his fingers. 

“Can I take this off you?” 

She nodded as her skin flushed a deeper color of pink. 

He knew he was giving off an air of confidence that he didn’t fully feel as his fingers shook slightly when he gripped her sweater more tightly and began to lift it up her torso. Never breaking eye contact with him, she lifted her arms above her head so that he could pull the garment all the way off of her. She was breathing heavily, her chest visibly rising and falling as he took in her supple porcelain skin. She was wearing a light blue bralette, the lacey fabric leaving very little to the imagination. Kissing her again, he guided them a few steps back until their legs hit the bed frame, making them both fall on to it. Putting his weight on his forearms, he began a trail of kisses across her jawline and down her neck making her shiver and gasp as she rutted against his leg that he had between both of hers. He was harder than he had ever been in his entire life, his erection almost painful. There was no way she couldn’t feel it pressed against her thigh. 

Lifting himself off her, he pushed himself up onto his hands so that he could look into her eyes more easily.

“Is everything okay?” she asked breathlessly. 

“Nothing has to happen tonight Betts… we could just keep kissing just like this and I promise I would die a happy man.” 

She laughed softly. “I know Jug, don’t worry,” 

“Promise me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable that you’ll tell me. Just say ‘stop’ and I will, okay?” 

She nodded, reaching up to cup his face but before she could he grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head making her gasp. 

He cocked one eyebrow at her. “Words pretty girl, use your words,” 

“I’m not going to stop you Jughead, but I promise I will tell you if I’m uncomfortable with anything.” She said, squirming underneath him. 

“Good,” He released her wrists, dipping his head as he started a new trail of hot, wet kisses along the curve of her breasts. 

***

When Jughead had brought them to his apartment above the Whyte Wyrm, Betty knew that Jughead misinterpreted her quiet body language thinking that she was upset with him for not telling her that he was in the Serpents. But that wasn’t true. As soon as the words “apartment for me,” fell past his lips, it was like her every nerve ending sparked making her whole body ignite at the realization that they would be completely alone. 

The feeling was only intensified now that she was on Jughead’s bed, his lips trailing over her flushed skin. She had almost combusted a few moments ago when he pinned her arms above her head and commanded her to use her words. She had heard of a “daddy kink” before but she never imagined it when she used to fantasize about him. Now, the thought of it only made her wetter. 

Feeling desperate to feel more of his skin on hers, she pulled the straps of her bralette down her shoulders, arching her back as she reached behind her to unclasp it before pulling it all the way off and throwing it somewhere to the side. 

She watched as Jughead visibly swallowed, his eyes traveling slowly to her now bare chest. They had gone to second base only a few days before, Jughead groping her breasts through the fabric of her shirt during one of their heated makeout sessions in the blue and gold after school. Something told her that nothing would compare to feeling his hands on her bare skin. 

“You’re beautiful Betts,” he breathed, looking into her eyes once more. 

She pulled him down to her, wrapping her legs around his hips so that their bodies were pressed together. Starting with one hand on her thigh, his hand traveled up her hip and then up and over her ribcage before his calloused thumb traced the underside of her breast making her gasp loudly. He smirked at her moving his way down her body until he was at the waistband of her jeans. Placing a kiss at her left hip bone and working his way across until he got to her right. Each time she felt his lips press on her skin, the heat at the apex of her thighs seemed to get more and more intense. 

“Jughead, please,” she whined. 

“What is it?” He asked, looking up at her. 

Letting out a shaky breath, she said, “Touch me,” 

“But Betts, I am touching you,” he said coyly, “I’m touch you here-” He traced a line from her collar bone down her sternum- “and here-” Using the same finger he changed his direction and traced a line from her stomach to the inside of her wrist and back up to her shoulder- “Where else should I touch you?” 

She rolled her eyes at him, knowing full well he was enjoying teasing her. Not wanting to let him win, her hands went to the button of her jeans as she unbuttoned them and pulled down the small gold zipper. 

He frowned, grabbing her hands before she could start shimming her pants down her thighs. “I want to do that,” 

“Then do it,” she challenged him. 

“Tsk, tsk, so impatient,” he said, tutting his tongue. 

Together they got her skinny jeans and underwear, down to her calves, both of them giggling as Jughead attempted to pull them all the way off from the edge of the bed. She felt vulnerable like this, completely naked and spread out in his bed. Time seemed to slow as he stared at her, her skin flushing as he looked over the most intimate parts of her. Feeling bold, she brought her right hand up to trace her collar bone, then trailed her fingers across her skin moving slowly down her chest, across the plain of her abdomen to the apex of her thighs. Using two fingers she pushed through the sensitive lips of her pussy to her opening and gasp aloud from how wet she was. Even when she touched herself in the past, there was never a time she remembered being this wet. Once her fingers were coated, she moved back up swirling the pads of her fingers over her already throbbing clit. Jughead had been watching the entire time at the foot of the bed, slack jawed and dazed as she continued to touch herself. 

Applying a little more pressure, she moaned softly, closing her eyes as her back arched off the bed. She felt the bed dip and opened her eyes again just as Jughead settled over her. 

“Betty, I-I want to go down on you,” 

“O-okay,” she breathed, feeling her nerves flutter in her chest. 

“Will you tell me what feels good?” He asked, as he moved back down the bed. 

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for him to start. 

He placed a few feather light kisses on the inside of her thighs before he licked a stripe from her entrance up to her clit. 

Stars exploded behind her eyelids as she let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. He gave her a few experimental licks, before he got back up again, pulling her down the bed by her ankles so her backside was teetering on the edge of the mattress. With his knees on the floor, he put her legs over his shoulders before he continued. Too curious not to, she propped herself up on her elbows so she could watch what he was doing. He sucked lightly, running the tip of his tongue over the hood of her clit then flattened his tongue against her moving in a clockwise circular motion. He switched his technique, like he was going through a list of skill sets, only to go back to something when she keened with pleasure. She could tell he liked flicking his tongue over her clit because that made her body move the most, each flick making her body jolt from the pleasure. 

It wasn’t long before her breathing got louder as she felt her orgasm start to build. He flattened his tongue again, making the heat behind her orgasm get more intense. 

“Oh my god, don’t stop, right there-” she begged. 

He kept on her, applying more pressure as he continued to move his tongue over her. She fell back against the bed, her fingers threading through his hair as she held his face against her. One second she was teetering on the edge of her orgasm and in the next breath it was rushing through her, the feelings so intense it made her vision white out. 

She must’ve let go of his hair at some point because she felt him place a wet kiss on the inside of her thigh before he stood up. Opening her eyes, she took a few deep cleansing breaths as she willed her heart to slow. It almost did until Jughead started to undo his belt buckle and then proceeded to take off his remaining clothing. 

He stroked himself a few times, rubbing his thumb over the tip of his cock to spread the precum that had gathered there. “Are you sure you want to do this Betty?” he asked, his voice wobbling. “We don’t have to go any further, I promise.” 

She reached for him. “No, I want to,” 

Taking her hand, he let her pull him back on top of her. “Oh shit, wait, we need a condom,” 

“I’m on birth control,” she said shaking her head.

Jughead dropped his head, pressing his face into her throat. “Fuck, Betts you are going to kill me,” 

“I love you,” she whispered, running her hands up and down his back.

He looked back up at her then, kissing her gently. “I love you too,” 

Running his hand over her leg, he hitched it over his hip before using his other hand to line himself up with her entrance. She could feel him shaking above her as he dragged his tip through her sensitive walls, wetting himself with her. 

“Let me know if I hurt you,” he said, and then began to push in. 

She gasped loudly, her brows pinching together as she felt him stretch her until he slid home. From what she heard in the girls locker room, she expected her first time to hurt a lot more than it did, but she was so wet from Jughead going down her that she only felt pleasure. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, worry written all over her face. 

“Yes,” she said honestly, “please keep going, don’t stop,” 

He pressed his forehead to hers as he slowly pulled himself out and then pushed him again, giving her a few experimental thrusts. 

“Jughead please,” she whimpered, wrapping her hands around his biceps, “I’m not going to break.” 

“I’m not worried about that,” he chuckled, “if I go any faster than this I am not going to last very long,” 

“I don’t care about that, we can do it again,” She didn’t care that she was begging at this point. 

Putting his full weight on his hands, he began to thrust into her with earnest. Sending a jolt through her with each snap of his hips. 

Dipping his head down, he brushed his lips against hers. “Is this what you wanted?” 

Between Jughead’s breathy voice, the movement of his hips and the molten look in his eyes Betty felt herself rushing toward her second climax. 

“Y-yes,” she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut as she arched her back off the mattress. 

The next few moments were a perfect symphony, the room filling with the sounds of their love making. After when they were laying in each others arms, Betty realized that since the first day she met Jughead when they were little, they were always destined to end up here- wrapped in each other's arms as they whispered their devotions of love over the others skin. Sure, a lot had changed since they were kids and life was nowhere near as simple but the one thing that remained constant for her was how she felt for Jughead. He was her best friend, her protector, her love. Their love made her have hope and even though their future was unclear, she took solace in knowing it was there. 

And for her, that was enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I started publishing this back in March, the last time I published something Bughead was July 2019 and I am painfully aware that I'm rounding on one year since I've updated When We Were Young. To say I am feeling a little emotional that I finished this fic is an understatement. It's by no means perfect, there's grammatical errors that will make me cringe if I ever read through this again and plot holes the size of Texas but I still think it's beautiful because it's mine 💕 I have missed writing and I have missed the community publishing to AO3 and Tumblr brings with it. My only hope is that now that I've started again that I won't stop. My WIPs are still on my mind and I am hopeful that I will return to them soon. 
> 
> To those who went on this crazy fic journey with me- thank you 💕 Whether you were someone who read something in the past or a new reader, whether you left a comment, subscribed or left a kudo, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU 💕 Thank you for your investment in this fic and your investment in me. Maybe it's not that deep, but I just want you to know how much it matters to me. 
> 
> Until next time my friends 💕
> 
> Peace & Blessings, 
> 
> -Peyton


End file.
